Thursday, May 31, 2007

Konya: Mathnawi-i Manawi or Mesnevi, one of the most important works of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, also known as Mevlana, has been translated into 15 languages, said Mayor of Konya Tahir Akyurek last Thursday.

Akyurek told the Anatolia news agency that eight of these translations were already printed. Stating that UNESCO announced this year as Mevlana Year, Akyurek said the book was translated and printed in English, German, Italian, French, Persian, Arabic and Urdu.

"Printed editions in these languages were sent to several ministries and organizations in foreign countries," Akyurek said. He said Mesnevi was also translated into Bosnian, Japanese, Spanish, Albanian, Turkmen, Swedish and Kazakh, but had not been printed yet.

Mesnevi – by Mevlana, spiritual founder of the Mevlevi order who devoted himself to the pursuit of Sufi mysticism – comprises about 30,000 couplets in six books, a vast compendium of Sufi lore and doctrine, interspersed with fables and anecdotes.

It is especially remarkable for its insight into the laws of physics and psychology.

Srinagar: Kashmir's Grand Mufti, Mufti Muhammad Bashir-ud-Din, has issued a 'fatwa' against accepting money or help from the Indian Army in rebuilding mosques and shrines.

In a statement here, the Grand Mufti said: "The Shariat (Islamic) law does not allow any person or persons other than the Muslims to do such an act."

The Grand Mufti, according to Islamic law, has an authority to issue legal opinions and 'fatwa' (edicts) on interpretations of Islamic law.

"In my capacity as the Mufti Azam of Jammu and Kashmir, I declare that this shall be treated as a verdict within the purview of the Shariat that no person or persons, organisation or organisations other than Muslims can construct, renovate any mosque or shrine."

The fatwa further said any help from non-Muslims in the construction of mosques would be construed as interference in the religious affairs of Muslims.

The army has been lending support and financial assistance in Kashmir under Operation 'Sadbhavana' and so far over Rs.1 million has been spent for the construction and renovation of 11 shrines in the Kashmir Valley.

Reacting to the fatwa, the spokesman of the army's 15th corps, Lt. Col. A.K. Mathur said: "We only help construction/renovation of religious places if there is a request from the people.
"If the people don't want our help, there is no force from our side."

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the valley's chief priest, who is also chairman of the moderate group of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, has also criticized the army for "interference in the religious affairs of Muslims of Kashmir".

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

New Delhi: It's Thursday evening, and walking down the narrow alley in south Delhi en route to the Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin can be quite a challenge.

Jostling through the heavy crowd and resisting hordes of persistent beggars, you just might get tempted to change your mind. But as you draw closer, the faint sound of the 'qawwali', the eternal Sufi song, reaches your ears. And the magic takes over.

After passing through the labyrinth of lanes, both sides of which are huddled with numerous shops selling rosaries, flower trays, incense sticks, prayer mats and prayer books, one reaches the Dargah's premises.

Even in the ocean of voices and fevering prayers of people from every caste and creed who come to the Dargah, the sound of the qawwals or Sufi singers stand out and makes one take a seat and be enthralled by it.

Sitting with their harmoniums in the central courtyard of the Dargah, the qawwals sing with passion and whole-heartedly, creating an euphoric ambience. As their voices rise and fall, the heat, the sweat or any other discomfort that one might have, simply evaporates.

People gather in hundreds, some standing and others sitting cross-legged. No one is complaining; no one is pushing. Probably it's because of the spell that the singers create; even in the sweltering heat with no fans, people enjoy the music in peace.

Qawwali began when the founder of the Chishti order of Sufism, Moinuddin Chishti, came from Baghdad to Ajmer, Rajasthan, in the 13th century. A century later, the artistic genius Amir Khusrau, who also is popularly recognized as the creator of the tabla and the sitar, organized what Moinuddin began, and qawwali was born.

One of the most popular stories the qawwals like to tell is of the 'Qawwal Bachche'. Hazrat Amir Khusrau wanted to do something special for his 'sheikh' (spiritual mentor) Nizamuddin.
So he found 12 especially talented young boys and trained them to perform the ragas he had composed. The sheikh was very pleased with their performance and these 12 boys became to be known as the 'Qawwal Bachche'.

The qawwals in Nizamuddin's dargah refer to themselves as Qawwal Bachche because they trace their lineage back to one of those 12 children.

Qawwali has been passed from father to son through the generations, with an emphasis on the children remembering the poetry and correct pronunciation of the words because many of the songs are in Persian. But the style has been allowed to adapt to the changing times in order to make the music appealing to each new generation. Changes include incorporating new rhythms and new instruments, such as the harmonium, introduced in the early 19th century and now synonymous with the qawwali sound.

As the qawwals at the Dargah sing tirelessly, people come and put crisp currency notes near their feet. It doesn't really matter how much one donates because no one asks for it. Those who give do it on their own will.

The trance breaks as the qawwals take a break for namaaz. As you walk back through the same alley the noise seems much subdued, the aroma of the biryani and the haleem seems to fill the place and you don't mind the tugging and the pulling.
The spell is broken but not before leaving a smile on your face.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Bhagalpur (Bihar): For eight long years, a 65-year-old Hindu man has been managing with care and devotion a Sufi shrine after Muslims hit hard by the 1989 communal violence gave it up.

Suresh Bhagat, who has virtually deserted his family in the process, says he enjoys every minute he spends at the 300-year-old shrine of Bazid Dargah Pahalwan, a revered Muslim preacher, in Amapur village some 20 km away.

The last of the Muslim families left the village in 1999, a decade after Bihar's worst communal riots killed hundreds and marked the end of Congress dominance over Bihar.

Bhagat sleeps on an elevated platform supported by bamboo poles near the shrine, close to a cremation site on the bank of the Ganga, a river of great religious significance for Hindus. "No sense of fear has crossed my dreams even once," Bhagat told IANS.

The villagers decided to take care of the historical shrine after Kamo Miyan, the last Muslim caretaker of the dargah, shifted to Bhagalpur town in 1999. Bhagat was ready to take up the task. There was initial resistance from his wife and their three sons but the man had his way.

Amapur village had 12 Muslim families, of which seven perished in the 1989 riots. The surviving families moved to Bhagalpur and Kahalgoan town over the years. "They left the village because of a high sense of insecurity among them," said RamPrasad, a villager.

Bhagat does not know how to follow Muslim rituals. He knows how to put the ceremonial 'chadar' on the 'mazaar'. He offers the remains of burnt incense sticks to Hindu and Muslim devotees who throng the shrine from Ekchari, Bhagalpur and Ghogha areas and from even Kolkata and Lucknow.

Illiterate Bhagat wishes he could offer prayers but he prefers to internalize his respect for Islam.
"Though I do not know the nitty-gritty of any religion, every religion talks of love and peace," he says.

Every evening, Anil, the rickshaw puller son of Bhagat, comes to see his father at the shrine and hands over a lunch box to him.

Bhagat has one dream: "I wish there is such love among Hindus and Muslims that when Hindus fast, Ramzan should fall on the very day."

Says Wasi Alam, a Muslim resident of Bhagalpur town: "What Bhagat does is a great example of communal harmony. God loves all and accepts everybody's offer and prayer."

[picture: Mangifera indica, India's national fruit.

Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Lahore: Prominent artist and social activist Jimmy Engineer has called for national unity and integrity at this critical juncture of the Pakistan’s history.

In a press statement, Jimmy Engineer said that everyone irrespective of political affiliations should work for the progress of the country.

He said that Pakistan belongs to more than 160 million people and is not just for a particular community, group or class. He said the national interests have to be safeguarded and promoted and not to be sacrificed and brushed aside for petty interests, prejudices and biases.

He said that he is great admirer of the teachings of popular saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh and follower of Sufi Barkat Ali of Risalewala near Faisalabad and by adhering to spiritualism and Sufism, Pakistanis could overcome all our problems, avoid bloodshed, violence and arson.

It is an integral part of Kashmiri culture – Sufism or the Sufi tradition -- evident in the hundreds of shrines that dot the valley with followers that run into hundreds.

But in the volatile valley, faith is embroiled in a confrontation between the men who are caretakers of the shrines and the men in uniform who have almost become the other prominent feature of the valley -- the army.

Muslim leaders are angry after the army helped renovate a mosque claiming Islam does not permit any non-Muslim to do so and allege the move has political motives. “If the army does not stop interfering, a severe agitation will be led against them,” threatened Hurriyat Conference Leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

However, the army insists there is a misunderstanding and says it was just an attempt to improve contact with the locals.

The cities of Cologne (Köln) and İstanbul are marking the 10th anniversary of their being declared sister cities with a series of cultural events due to take place in both cities in May and June, the organizers announced in a written statement this week.

The first leg of the activities, organized by the Greater İstanbul Municipality's culture entity Kültür A.Ş., is currently under way in Cologne through June 1, with famous Turkish musicians Fazıl Say, Burhan Öçal and Kudsi Erguner performing concerts for Cologne audiences.

A folkloric dance show by Anadolu Ateşi (Fire of Anatolia) and an Ottoman janissary band show are among events in the lineup in addition to an exhibition of panoramic photographs of İstanbul; Turkish movie screenings; a traditional sema performance by whirling dervishes and a conference focusing on the teachings of Sufi saint and poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi by Sufi history expert Mahmut Erol Kılıç.

The second leg of the activities will take place June 1-4 in İstanbul with support from the Municipality of Cologne.

The event, which is in a way a preparation for the 2010 European Culture Capital activities, will help the residents of the two cities develop a better mutual understanding, the statement said.

The organizers said the program would later be featured in other important cities of the East and the West.

The scenic Nurpur Shahan at the foothills of Margalla in the federal capital bears the nonpareil honour of being the resting place of an eminent and great Sufi saint Syed Abdul Latif Kazmi, popularly known as Barri Imam.

During the five-day annual Urs of great Sufi Saint - commencing from Sunday, May 27- the devotees from across the country will not only offer obeisance but will also invoke Allah's blessing to get their wishes answered.

With traditional beat of drum, folk dances and multi-coloured flags, the devotees -including some of them bare-footed- have started pouring in the town to express their devotion and reverence to the great Sufi saint.

Brisk arrangements have been put in place by the Islamabad Territory Administration, Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Police and Auqaf Department to welcome devotees, coming for this bustling event.

Renovation of the shrine of Barri Imam is in full swing amidst future plans to re-build a befitting shrine with revised estimated cost which may exceed Rs 600 million [USD 9,910,361.--].

All possible arrangements are underway to facilitate the devotees and the roads leading to the shrine of Barri Imam have been widened to ensure smooth flow of traffic during the Urs.

Vehicles, carrying special permission will ply between Nurpur Shahan and its adjoining areas from key points in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, along with private buses, wagons and Suzuki pickups, to facilitate the devotees to the shrine.

Dancing, gambling and use of loud speakers will remain banned during the `Urs'.

A local holiday is a usual feature to be announced by the administration every year to commemorate the Urs and to facilitate the devotees. Auqaf Department plans to distribute free food among the devotees daily throughout the `Urs'.

A tent village of devotees, emerged on the eve of Urs can be seen around the dried-up stream along with burning candles. The adjoining hills of the shrine will bustle with life as arrangements for illumination have also been finalised.

Brisk shopping in a narrow but colourful bazaar adjoining the shrine adds beauty to the event. Most of shopkeepers are seen selling `Nokuls (white sugar coated sweets), dry dates, bangles and bracelets with sacred words engraved on them.
Sweets, traditional halwa-puri, flowers and garlands remain cardinal feature of festive ambience on the occasion. These are also taken by the devotees as sacred gifts for nears and dears.

The real festivities of Urs take a boost with the arrival of the traditional Daali from Peshawar, which was started by Hazrat Shah Muhammad Ghous (buried in Lahore).
The crowds (Daali) keep growing as an annual recurrence with the accompanied rituals becoming more colourful and fascinating. Participants of the "Daali" (offering) proceed on foot, covering over 100 miles journey in a week. The devotees march towards the shrine of the Great saint through specific routes.

The long awaited procession swells as more and more devotees join it on way. They
carry the Daali, called `Takht-e-Rawan' (Floating Throne), entailing eighteen bottles of rose scent and Henna (Mehndi).

The devotees start their toughest and non-stop journey to shrine of Hazrat Barri Imam through Hattain and ultimately, the Daali reaches the capital via Burhan, Golra Sharif, Margalla hills and Pir Sohawa, where it is accorded warm welcome by masses and officials of the Auqaf Department.

Born in 1026 Hijra (1617 AD) in village Karsaal (Chakwal), Barri Imam attracted both Muslims and non-Muslims. His piety, revolutionary ideas and simple way of life earned respect and honour for him among his people. He adopted those rejected by the society as outcasts.

His father, Syed Mahmood Badshah (whose mazar is visited daily by hundreds of people near Aabpara), shifted his family from Karsaal to village Bagh-e-Kalan (now Islamabad) when Barri Imam was 10 year old. He was the eldest son. He had only one sister, who died soon after her marriage. His father taught him at home.

Later, he was sent to Ghour Ghashi (Attock) where he studied "Fiqah" "Hadith" and Mathematics. He travelled extensively including Kashmir, Badkhshan, Mashhed, Najaf-i-Ashraf, Karbala, Baghdad, Hijaz, Egypt, Damascus, Madina Munawara and Mekka Mukarama to bag knowledge and wisdom.

His ancestral tree is traced to Great Imam Hazart Moosa Kazim (AS). He had uncanny knack for picking and retaining things since childhood. Barri had full command over Holy Quran, Hadith, Fiqah, Logic and Arithmetic.
He adopted four caliphs--Inayat Shah, Shah Hussain, Mithay Shah and Deen or Dang Shah. Three of them are buried in Nurpur Shahan while Inayat Shah is buried in Sindh.

Several non-Muslims embraced Islam due to Barri Imam' spiritual preaching and exemplary character.

He passed away in 1117 Hijra (1708 AD) at the age of 91 years after having spread the light of truth and simplicity which transformed the village Churpur into Nurpur.

The best way to pay befitting homage to Hazrat Barri Imam is that his message and teachings may be followed in letter and spirit. A public Trust, comprising the sincere, honest and educated devotees, may be set up to monitor and regulate the income and expenses of the Barri Imam's shrine in a transparent manner.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Islamabad: A curious amalgam of traditional miniature art and innovative abstract art is on display in a painting exhibition at the Alliance Francaise d’Islamabad.

Nine National College of Arts students have exhibited their masterpieces in the exhibition.

They have painstakingly used Mughal and Persian figurative drawing techniques to understand miniature painting composition. They have used the techniques called ‘pardakt’ and ‘gadrang’ (using squirrel hairbrush) in landscapes, architecture, pattern designing and floral and geometrical patterns.

(...)

The work of Aakif Sauri, inspired by Sufism, attempts to capture the essence of love, beauty and spirituality. He has tried to spread the massage of Sufi poets among the new generation.

Kauser Iqbal has wonderfully portrayed different rural norms and customs in Pakistan by showing women busy in their routine chores.

(...)

Nauman Ghauri’s work is a visual voyage of Egyption religious rituals and mythology.

Jalalluddin Babar’s paintings explore the concept of faith by depicting the night of ‘Shab-e-Miraj’.

M Saleh tries to remind his people through his work that they were not always inferior to the West and that they should not waste their energies and talents on imitating the West.

“The caravan of love, the wisdom of the Sufis, music and tales” will be a real opportunity to dedicate oneself, at least for one evening, to the acquaintance of the other and of us.

Tonight, May 25, 9.15 pm, third appointment of a series of three, “Islam in casa” (Islam at home) is organized in order to approach the East and the West, in collaboration with the township of Fucecchio (Florence) and various Interfaith Groups.

Some elements of the Sufi tradition are music and the tales, which act on various levels. Music has a deep and positive effect on the spirit. The Sufi tales are, instead, anecdotes and episodes, much simple and often apparently conflicting.

New details are emerging concerning the detention in Iran this week of a prominent Sufi leader.

Nurali Tabandeh (aka Majzub Ali Shah), the leader of the Nematollah Gonabadi order, was detained on May 21 and forcibly taken from the northeastern city of Gonabad -- where the leaders of the order have lived and been buried for centuries -- to Tehran.

A representative of the order told RFE/RL today that the 80-year-old Tabandeh was released in Tehran after being detained for about 10 hours.

Authorities had earlier called on Tabandeh to leave Gonabad, but Tabandeh had refused to leave his city of birth. In October, 300 security forces surrounded Tabandeh's Gonabad residence in an effort to force him to leave the city.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Army in Kashmir is no longer restricting its role to military operations. The latest in its war “for hearts and minds” is the construction and renovation of Sufi ziyarats (shrines) and mosques across the Valley.

So when the Army talks of kills, arrests and recoveries, its counter-insurgency operations will now also include a new page in its report card:

“This effort is part of our Operation Sadbhavana. We wanted to send out a message that army is not just meant for war, it also provides help to people,” said Defence spokesman Lt. Col A K Mathur.

Although the Army stresses that the aim behind this move is only to help people, the material support for Sufi ziyarats has an underlying interest in the Sufi school of thought which the government believes is “more accommodative and apolitical”.

And when Governor Lt. Gen. S K Sinha inaugurated the renovated complex of Ziyarat Ayatullah Aga Syed Mehdi at Budgam, he said that though the Army is a secular institution and has respect for all religions, “We revere the Sufi strain of Islam, especially of the Reshi order in Kashmir”.

The Army put the cost of the entire project at Rs 18 lakh and termed the Ziyarat in Budgam, as a symbol of the “spirit of Kashmiriyat and tolerance of all faiths.”

We notice that in your calligraphies there is a dialogue, a mixing of cultures…Indeed, a dialogue between Eastern civilizations, Mesopotamian, Phenician and Muslim-Arabic…
I like that all my calligraphies are drawn from the work of Tawhidi, this great Arabic-Persian thinker.

Algerian artist Yazid Kheloufi (b. 1963), who will soon exhibit in Paris, interviewed by C. Berriah for Algerian Daily El Watan about his materic art and his relationship to calligraphy and sufism.

It is not a secret that your works feel mysticism?!Certainly not, as you know, my painting is based on the great sufi repertory and the illuminative philosophy which was founded by famous Chihab Eddine Al Suhrawardi.

It is true that you cannot do without calligraphy?For me, Islamic calligraphy remains an interior topography of oneself. The presence of the Arab letter is very strong in the imaginary of a Muslim, much more than the image.

I give you an example: the image cannot serve the divine message, whereas the letter is abstract and the divine one is abstract. Allah, the name of God in Islam, cannot be represented in image, whereas the letter and the alphabet can serve the divine one…

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

New production by avant-garde director Robert Wilson set to premiere in Athens next week.

What do you see when you blink? A piece of reality? A fragment of a dream? Avant-garde director and playwright Robert Wilson has come up with a few answers and is about to unveil them to the world next week.

The world premiere of “Rumi: In the Blink of the Eye” is scheduled to take place in Athens as the final part of the Attiki Cultural Society’s spring theater festival at the Pallas theater on May 28, 29, 30 and 31.

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273) the poet considered the greatest of Sufi mystics, became the founding father of the Mevlevi Order, otherwise known as the Whirling Dervishes.

Discovered by Western travelers in the 19th century, the Whirling Dervishes have long fascinated international audiences. In this new work featuring Turkish and Farsi texts, Eastern traditions are combined with contemporary Western creation. With UNESCO billing 2007 as International Rumi Year, the production is the first installment of a three-year “Rumi Project,” celebrating 800 years since the poet’s birth.

Featuring vocalists, musicians and dancers, “Rumi: In the Blink of the Eye,” is part of Wilson’s universe of images, movement and sound – or no sound at all.

“Stillness and what we hear in silence,” said Wilson as he described parts of the production, at a recent meeting with the press in Athens. “Being silent we become aware of sound.”
On stage, Wilson shows a penchant for slow movement and austerity. What the French define as “silent operas,” he calls working on “structured silences.”

The new show focuses on “interior visual screens” versus “exterior visual screens.” According to the director, we often forget about how we perceive things and focus on the information we receive from the outside world.

This is one of the reasons why Wilson takes a twofold approach to his work. First he directs the work silently, without text and music. Then he goes through it adding the audio score. In the end, the two versions come together, not necessarily reflecting each other.

“It’s similar to listening to drama on radio, you’re free to imagine the visual side,” said Wilson in explaining the process. “Or when watching a silent movie, you can hear the sound.”

Time also remains a fundamental aspect of Wilson’s explorations on stage. For one, he has used time as a defining and often defying element: He has gone from plays lasting seven days to creating works of 30 seconds. In between, there have been works presented during 24 hours or even 12 – next week’s premiere lies in the 70-minute range.

Directed and designed by Wilson, “Rumi: In the Blink of the Eye” is based on an original score by Turkish composer Kudsi Erguner.

For Wilson, it is also a journey back in time, to when he was preparing “Ka Mountain and Guardenia Terrace” in 1972. The play, which was staged for seven consecutive days on seven different hills in Iran, was followed by six-hour daily stagings in New York. Rumi’s poetry re-entered the director’s life in 1998, for his work in “Monsters of Grace,” in tandem with Philip Glass. This time round, Wilson stayed with Erguner in Istanbul, attending Sufi ceremonies and talking to local teachers and artists.

Brushing aside the intellectual aspect of his work, Wilson aims to keep his productions accessible to all: children, educated or uneducated audiences. The mystery, he says, is in the surface.
“The most important thing is to experience,” he said. “If you know what it is that you’re doing, don’t do it.”

Tehran: Iran has arrested the leader of one of its largest Sufi sects as well as other members of his order in the northeast of the country, the reformist Etemad daily reported on Tuesday.

Noor Ali Tabandeh, also known as Majzub Ali Shah, is the leader of the Nematollahi order which is based in the northeastern province of Khorasan but has followers all over Iran.

“On Monday morning, Dr. Noor Ali Tabandeh, the head of Gonabadi Dervishes and a group of other dervishes were arrested in Aliabad village near Bidokht, Gonabad,” the report said. It added that another member of the sect - known as Nematollahis or Gonabadi Dervishes - was arrested in the clerical capital of Qom for refusing to pay a fine for February 2006 riots in the city.

Sufi worship is not illegal in Iran but the practice is frowned upon by many conservative clerics who regard it as an affront to Islam.

Several dozen Sufi mystics were sentenced to lashes and a year in jail for public disorder in connection with the riots in Qom, pitting the Sufis against security forces and hardline supporters of the official brand of Shiite Islam.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The world-famous Turkish satirical folktale character Nasreddin Hodja will this year take to the streets of the Netherlands, where he will add yogurt culture to the Meuse River, in an annual reconstruction of one of the most famous Nasreddin Hodja tales.

The event, organized for the second year in the Netherlands by Konya's Akşehir Municipality in collaboration with the Netherlands Mosaic Culture and Art Foundation, will take place May 25-27, reported the Anatolia news agency.

The event, held annually in Konya's Akşehir, where Nasreddin Hodja is believed to have lived, is a call for universal tolerance as the symbolic Hodja adds the culture of tolerance to Akşehir Lake.

Last year's event in the Netherlands drew huge interest from both Dutch and Turkish population in the Netherlands, said Akşehir Mayor Mustafa Baloğlu, adding that they handed out 5,000 books of Nasreddin Hodja tales to the public.

This year's event is scheduled to take place in Rotterdam, where the symbolic "Nasreddin Hodja will be welcomed [by the organization committee] on Schiedamseweg Street. From there we will walk to the banks of the Meuse River, where Hodja will pour the culture of love and tolerance into the river's waters. We will also be handing out 5,000 books of Nasreddin Hodja tales to spectators. The books are in four languages: Turkish, English, Arabic and Dutch," he said.

"We want Nasreddin Hodja to become known by all children," he added. The event will also feature Sufi music performances.

Nasreddin Hodja is a satirical Sufi figure who is believed to have lived during the Middle Ages -- around the 13th century -- in central Anatolia. His legendary sense of humor and stories are thought to be based on the words of a well-known imam.

Numerous historical sources claim Nasreddin was born in 1208 near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Akşehir, where he died around 1284. His tomb is also in Akşehir.

As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he is most often called.

Today his stories are told in a wide variety of regions and have been translated into numerous languages. In many regions Nasreddin is a major part of the culture and is quoted frequently in daily life.

Ludhiana: The hovering communal tension in the air took a backseat last night as Ustaad Badar-uz-Zaman and Ustaad Qamar-uz-Zaman began the process of healing souls through Sufi music. Hailing from Pakistan, these two singers took the audience through a journey of Sufi kalams interspersed with commentary, to help the people understand this genre.

The Sufi evening, titled Sada-e sufi was a presentation of Sufi Foundation, headed by former DGP Punjab Dr A A Siddqui.

The Lahore-based brothers began unraveling their magic with a Punjabi rendition of Kasur Gharana bandish. The brother duo had the audience mesmerized with their next kalam, Sadi gal sundaja ve sohneiya. Post this, Baba Bulleh Shah ruled the night with the audience sending in their list of demands.

The trained and experienced singers, after pointing that “Sufism is not just belting out kalams It is a direct connection with the Almighty” had a piece of advice for the aspirants in their field.

“Hard work and training is a must. The knowledge of sur, taal, laay, lyrics is all very important, and above all, learn to identify your area of expertise. One person cannot do it all - pen lyrics, compose music and sing too.”

A Tajik university has held a conference on Rumi and Goethe to compare views of the two poets on the interaction between the East and the West.

Titled "Dialogue among Cultures", the international event was held at Khujand State University, south of Tajikistan on Wednesday and Thursday.

A number of scholars and intellectuals from Iran, Germany, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan attended the ceremony which was held to mark the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth.

The Secretariat of the conference said a total of 110 articles, reports and research papers on the linguistic, literary and societal dimensions of Rumi and Goethe were submitted to the event. The participating countries also decided to host similar events as part of an initiative to boost cultural ties.

Jalal ad-Din Mohammad Balkhi, known in the West as Rumi, was born in 1207. His major works are "Mathnavi" and "Divan-e Shams". UNESCO has named 2007 as the year of Rumi. Numerous conferences and literary forums have been held all over the world to celebrate the poet known as "the poet of nations".

Persian literature has influenced many writers and cultures outside its boundaries. One of the best examples is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet, dramatist, novelist, theorist, humanist, scientist and painter whose most enduring work is "West-Ostlicher Divan" (The West-Eastern Divan).

The West-Eastern Divan, and Goethe's collection of poetry in general, gradually came to function as a leading model for religious and literary syntheses between the west and the east.

Goethe has put enchanting and voluptuous customs into poetry, and his verses are so perfect, so harmonious, so tasteful, so soft, that it seems really surprising that he should ever have been able to have brought the German language to this state of suppleness.

Spirit let us bridegroom call,
and the word the bride;
known this wedding is to all
who have Hafis tried.

Hafis, straight to equal thee,
one would strive in vain;
though a ship with majesty
cleaves the foaming main,

Prominent Iranian Sufi leader Nurali Tabandeh (aka Majzub Ali Shah) was detained today by security forces on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Gonabad.

Tabandeh loyalists claimed that several of his supporters were beaten and detained along with him.

The reason for the arrest of Tabandeh, the leader of the Nematollah Gonabadi order, is unclear.

In October, 300 security forces surrounded Tabandeh's Gonabad residence after he refused to leave his city of birth. Gonabad is the birthplace of the leaders of the Nematollahi Gonabadi dervish order, many of whom lived and were buried there.

Tabandeh's arrest has upset many supporters, who have said they will peacefully protest his arrest and call for his release.

One of Tabandeh's loyalists in Tehran who asked not to be identified told RFE/RL that this arrest followed calls by authorities for him to leave Gonabad.
"Some time ago, intelligence officials in Mashhad said [Tabandeh] should leave [the city], but he said, 'I will remain in Bidokht' -- because there was no legal reason for him to leave the city and go to Tehran and because they had asked to do that forcefully and illegally," the supporter said.
"It's been 15 days now [since the warning] that he had stayed in Bidokht. But they acted like thieves -- they arrested him on the road [to Aliabad] -- they didn't come to Bidokht."

The same source said some supporters have considered far more serious acts to draw attention to what they regard as official persecution.

"By tomorrow, all the [dervishes] will depart for Bidokht -- they're going from different provinces to Bidokht," the source said. "Two of the dervishes had wanted to immolate themselves in front of the governor's office because none of the officials have provided a response. But other dervishes prevented that from happening because it could have a negative impact. But they cannot end this story like this. What the government has done is illegal."

Increasing pressure on religious minorites high-profile cases like Tabandeh's suggest that pressure on minority religious groups, like Sufis and dervishes, has increased in Iran.

Last year, a Sufi house of worship was destroyed in Qom, and hundreds of Sufis were detained.

The U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom said in a May 2 statement that an already "poor" government record on religious freedom had deteriorated in the past year -- particularly for religious groups like Sufi Muslims and Evangelical Christians.

Critics are likely to claim that Iranian authorities' latest move against the leader of the Nematollahi order is another sign of intolerance toward those who do not practice Islam as it is promoted by the political and religious establishment.
Several conservative clerics have in recent months described Sufism as a danger to Islam.

Tabandeh's Nematollahi Gonabadi order is reportedly among the largest Sufi groups in Iran.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Once upon a time a poor woodsman and his wife had three sons, and though they struggled, they had one great gift. The woodsman's wife was the cleverest woman in the land. People said she could solve any problem.

The king had heard of this woman and wanted to know more about her, so he called all his wise men to court. "If there is a woman who is this wise, I want to reward her," said the king. "But if this is untrue, we must punish her and her family. We cannot have these rumors flying."

The wise men came up with a plan. They sent a poor fakir, a Sufi mystic, into the forest near the woodsman's home and announced to all that the fakir in the forest would read anyone's future.

The woodsman at once sent his eldest son. "Go find out your future," he said. "Find out if you shall always be poor."

The oldest son walked into the woods until he reached the fakir. "I wish to know my future," he said. "I can tell you," the fakir answered, "but first you must explain something I will show you," and he magically caused a scene to appear. A vast field filled with stalks of grain was surrounded by a fence made of sticks. As the boy watched, the sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down every stalk. Soon there was only a barren field, and then it vanished.

"What does this mean?" the fakir asked the first son.
"It means nothing," said the young man. "It is only magic."

"Now I can tell your future," the fakir said. "You are destined to be stone," and he turned the young man into stone.

When his first son did not return home, the woodsman sent his second son into the forest. "Find your brother and learn your future if you can."
Before long the second son came upon the fakir. "Can you tell me where my brother has gone?" he asked.
The fakir said nothing.
"Well," said the second son, "can you tell me my future?"
"That I can," said the fakir, "but first you must explain something," and this time he conjured up a scene of a calf and her mother, a healthy cow. But the calf was not drinking from her mother. Rather, the cow was drinking milk from her calf. Then the scene magically vanished.

"Explain this scene," the fakir said.
"It's meaningless," said the second son.
"I know your future," said the fakir, and he turned the second son to stone.

At last the woodsman sent his youngest son into the woods. When he reached the praying man, the boy asked for his brothers, but the fakir did not say a word. The boy looked at the two stones, and after a moment of silence he asked, "I wonder, can you tell me my future?

"That I can," said the fakir, "but first explain what you are about to see," and he magically revealed an old man carrying a huge load of wood. Still the old man walked along, bending to pick up every stick he saw. Then, just as quickly this scene vanished, and the fakir said, "Tell me, what does this mean?"
"Nothing," said the third son, and he too was turned to stone.

Worried for his sons' well-being, the woodsman at last ventured into the woods, and when he reached the fakir he said, '"I am looking for my sons. We all wish to know our future."

"I can tell you," said the fakir, "but first tell me what this means," and he revealed a scene of a large, overflowing pond spilling water into smaller ponds surrounding it. Soon the largest pond was dry, and the scene disappeared.

"What does this mean?" asked the fakir.
"Who knows?" said the woodsman, and naturally the fakir turned him to stone.

Now the woodsman's wife walked into the woods to find her family, and before long she came upon the fakir. "Have you seen my husband and my sons?" she asked. "I am searching for them. They came here to ask you their future."

"I silenced them," said the fakir. "Rumors of your cleverness have caused too much talk among people. If you are as clever as you claim, you would find them."

"I see them," said the woman, and she pointed to the stones. "You have turned them to stone. Why would you mistreat those who have made no trouble?"
"They could not answer my riddles," said the fakir, "but if you can, I shall return them to you."

"I shall try," said the woodsman's wife, and the fakir called up the scene of the stalks of grain and fence of sticks. Again those sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down the grain. The woodsman's wife smiled. "This is about a person asked to look after money. The rightful owner comes to ask for its return, but the caretaker has used it up and has nothing remaining."

She finished speaking, and her eldest son reappeared.

Then the fakir conjured up the cow and calf, and the woodsman's wife smiled again. "This reminds me of a lazy woman who lives off her child," she said, "like a neighbor of ours."
And the second boy reappeared.

The fakir revealed the old man carrying a load of wood; as he gathered sticks, the woodsman's wife bent her head and said softly, "Ah, the image of someone never satisfied with what he has," and so the third child reappeared.

"One last riddle," said the fakir, and he called up the pond emptying its water into the smaller ponds around it until it was completely dry.

The woman sighed. "Sadly, this is the way of the world. Often one person gives all that she has and receives nothing in return until she is empty and has nothing more to offer."

And the woman's husband reappeared.

Now the fakir said: '"I can foretell something more of the future. If you had failed to answer my riddles, five stones would be standing here, five stones upon which future woodsmen would sharpen their axes. But the king will be pleased to know that such a clever woman lives in our land, and so he shall reward you."

When the king learned that the woodsman's wife was clever indeed, he sent her a big bag of gold. The family lived happily ever after, grateful to their king for his reward, but most grateful all to the cleverest woman in the land.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Islam was introduced in the Valley of Kashmir not by conquest but by gradual conversion effected by Muslim Missionaries.

Islam is essentially a missionary religion and the Muslim Missionary, be he a Pir (a spiritual guide) or a preacher, carries with him the Message of Islam to the people of the Land he enters.

A Missionary has the spirit of truth in his heart which cannot rest till it manifests itself in thought, word, and deed.

The Muslim Missionary who had entered the Valley in the spirit of truth influenced its people by his example, his personal methods of preaching, and his persuasion. The first missionary to visit Kashmir in the time of Raja Suhadeva was Bilal Shah or Bulbul Shah; a well travelled Musavi Sayyid from Turkistan.

G.M.D Sufi in his history of Kashmir, “Kashir”, mentions that the original name of Bulbul Shah was Sharaf-ud-Din Syed Abdur Rahman Turkistani and he was a spiritual disciple of Shah NimatullahWali Farsi, a Khalifa of the Suhrawardi School of Sufis founded by Shaikh-ush-Shuyukh Shaikh Shihab-ud-Din Suhrawardi.

The simplicity of faith of Bulbul Shah impressed Rinchan, (the ruler of Kashmir who was originally a Ladakhi); so much that he converted to Islam and became the first Muslim Ruler of Kashmir as Sultan Sadar-ud-Din. After the conversion of Rinchan, his brother-in-law who was the Commander-in-Chief converted, and according to one tradition, ten thousand Kashmiris adopted Islam.

For new converts a place of gathering was set up on the banks of River Jehlum called Bulbul Lankar ( a distortion of word Langar) and a mosque was constructed which is probably in ruins now.

The arrival of a host of other Sayyids gave a big boost to conversion of people of Kashmir to Islam. The prominent among these were Sayyid Jalal-ud-Din of Bukhara, Sayyid Taj-ud-Din (cousin of Shah-i-Hamadan), and Sayyid Hussain Simanani. Sufi’s “Kashir” gives a very detailed account of the spread of Islam in Kashmir as well as mentions about the arrival of various Muslim Missionaries. However, according to Sufi, the greatest missionary whose personality wielded the most extraordinary influence in the spread of Islam in Kashmir was Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani also known as Amir-I-Kabir or Ali-I-Sani and popularly called Shah-i-Hamadan.

He belonged to the Kubrawi order of Sufis founded by Shaikh Najm-ud-Din Kubra of Khwarizm who died in 618 A.H (1221 A.D.). The Kubrawis are a branch of the Suhrawardi Sufis. The great Sayyid Ali Hamadani was born on 12th Rajab 714 (1314 A.D.) in Hamadan, Iran. He was son of Sayyid Shihab-ud-Din bin Mir Sayyid Muhammad Hussaini and his mother’s name was Fatima. His genealogy can be traced to Hazrat Ali through Imam Hussain, he being sixteenth in direct descent from Ali Bin Abi Talib.

Sayyid Ali Hamadani became Hafiz-I-Qur’an in his very early boyhood and studied Islamic Theology. His maternal uncle Sayyid Alala-ud-Din Simnani taught him Tasawwuf or Sufi mysticism. He became a disciple of Shaikh Abul Barakat Taqi-ud-Din Ali Dusti and after his death of Shaikh Sharaf-ud-Din Mahmud Muzdaqani who desired him to complete his education by extensive travel in the world.

In pursuance to the desire of Sayyid Muzdaqani, he journeyed for 21 years and visited several countries. According to Amin Ahmad Razi, Shah-i-Hamadan travelled three times all over the world and met 1,400 saints with whose association he gained extensive knowledge. After completing these travels he returned to Hamadan but the rise of Timur made him to leave for the valley of Kashmir with 700 Sayyids in the reign of Sultan Shihab-ud-Din 774 A.H. (1374 A.D.).

The Sultan had gone on an expedition against the ruler of Ohind (near Attock) and his brother Sultan Qutub-ud-Din was acting for him. Shah-i-Hamadan stayed for four months and then went to the scene of the battle and persuaded the belligerents to come to peace. Shah-i-Hamadan then left for Makkah and came back to the valley in 781 A.H. (1379 A.D.) and stayed for two and a half years. He then went to Turkistan via Ladakh in 783 A.H. (Near Leh in Shey there is a mosque attributed to him where he had prayed.)

The third visit of Shah-i-Hamadan took place in 785 A.H. (1383 A.D.) but he had to leave Kashmir on account of ill health and stayed with the ruler of Pakhli, Sultan Muhammad at his personal request for ten days. He then retired to the vicinity of Kunar where after a short stay he had a relapse on 1st Zilhijja 786 (1384 A.D.) and ate nothing for five days. On Tuesday, the 5th of Zilhijja, he drank water several times, and on the night of the same day he breathed his last at the age of 72.

On his death-bed Bismilla-hir-Rahim Nir Raheem was on his lips, and this, strangely enough, gives the date of his demise. The Sultan of Pakhli wished to bury the Sufi Saint there but his disciples wanted to carry him to Khatlan for burial. To decide the issue they invited the Sultan to move the bier with the corpse over it. However, he could not even stir it from its place. But a single disciple of his was able to lift it and bear it away on his head.

A shrine was erected at the honoured place of his death which now falls in Tehsil Mansera of District Hazara of North West Frontier Province.

(The actual burial place of Shah-i-Hamadan is a popular Shrine in the Khatlan province of Tajikistan. Last year a colleague had gone there from Kashmir. At the moment there is no direct flight from India to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. One has to fly to Sharjah and then take a flight to Dushanbe. The other alternative is to fly to Tashkent in Uzbekistan and then go by road. From Dushanbe it is a three hour drive to the town of Koolab where the Shrine is located. It is quite well maintained and well kept. Once Srinagar Airport starts functioning as an International Airport, it will be possible to visit the Shrine of Shah-i-Hamadan in a matter of few hours.)

The presence of Shah-i-Hamadan was a major factor in the spread of Islam in the valley of Kashmir. His co-workers included Mir Sayyid Haidar, Sayyid Jamal-ud-Din, Sayyid Kamal-i-Sani, Sayyid Jamal-ud-Din Alai, Sayyid Rukn-ud-Din, Sayyid Muhammad and Sayyid Azizullah. These Sayyids established Shrines with lodging and langar at many places in the valleywhich served as centres for propogation of Islam.

The local Hindu ascetics are said to have challenged Shah-i-Hamadan for trying their supernatural powers and after being humbled by him accepted Islam.

The present Ziyarat of Shah-i-Hamadan also known as Khanka Maula is the Chillah-Khana built by Sultan Qutub-ud-Din for the Sayyid at the place where the contest of supernatural powers was held and is not his tomb, which is in Khatlan, Tajikistan.

Sultan had great admiration for the Sayyid and at his instance divorced one of his two wives who were sisters as marriage to two sisters is against Shariat. He adopted Islamic dress and always wore a cap given by the Sayyid, under his crown. The cap was passed on to succeeding Sultans and was buried with the body of Sultan Fateh Shah as per his request. Some one had prophesied that the burial of the cap would end the dynasty and curiously the dynasty came to an end with the rise of Chaks.

Shah-i-Hamadan was the author of several books and also a poet. Two of his works are very well known, Zakhiratul Muluk and Muwwadatul Quraba. Zakhiratul Muluk is based on his political ideas. It is in itself significant that a Sufi should write a book on the nature of the Islamic State, the duties of rulers and the rights and obligations of the people.

There are a number of other books written by him on different religious and spiritual aspects. Awraad -ul-Fathiyah gives a conception of the unity of God and His attributes.

Shah Hamadan's ghazals or odes are naturally Sufistic. The Chahlul Asraar, is a small collection of religious and mystical poems. Shah-i-Hamadan laid emphasis on justice and fought against the rigidities of the caste system and prepared the people to work.

He also introduced the different handicrafts besides teaching of Islam. As a result the handicraft industry received a fillip in Kashmir. He laid greater emphasis on earning legal livelihood and so rejected all other means for the support of the Sufis. He earned his livelihood by cap making.

This impact of Shah-i-Hamadan continues to be felt after six hundred years of his death. In fact, the modern Kashmir has the spiritual inputs of Shah-i-Hamadan but unfortunately we have drifted away from the spirit of truth in thought, word, and deed, which was his basic philosophy.

The so called “Kashmiriyat” does not represent the true and the realistic Kashmir but the spirit of Shah-i-Hamadan does! Kashmir is at present in the utmost need of the revival of the spirit and teachings of this greatest missionary and saint who can be truly termed to be the “Apostle of Kashmir”!

The air is chilly and mist falls over the plantation town of Peermade in the evenings.

At times nothing can be seen around, except the whiteness of mist and the next moment the mist would vanish unveiling the richness of the land.

Once, the erstwhile summer retreat of Travancore Maharajas and the British planters, its present claim to fame are the tea plantations, the British bungalows and the mausoleum of a Sufi saint.

It is off point the usually trodden tourist track and in the shadow of Munnar. Most tourists pass this town by. This, in some ways, is Peermade’s USP. We dropped anchor here for a truly blissful quiet weekend to explore the rest of the district’s highlights like Thekkady, Vagamon and Idukki.

Peermade engages the senses not just on the strength of its natural beauty but also because of the charming tales spun around its most favoured points.

A short trek up the Peeru Hills took us to the mausoleum dedicated to Peer Mohamed, a Sufi saint who is believed to be the first trader of spices in the region.

Overgrown with weeds and creepers and surrounded by deep, endless gorges and waterfalls, it stands sans any epitaph. This quaint little hill station is also known as Peermedu (‘Peeru medu’ in local parlance means Peer’s valley) after him. When the British made it their summer station in the 1800s, the name was later anglicised to Peermade to suit their tongue.

Jaipur: No dress code yet in Ajmer sufi shrine, but in the backdrop of a controversy over a dress code for pilgrims visiting the Sufi shrine in Ajmer (following the Katrina Kaif episode), the Nazim of the shrine's Dargah committee on Saturday said he has only given some suggestions for maintaining decorum at the world famous pilgrim centre.

The Nazim Khawaji Moinuddhin Chishti Ahammed Raza on Saturday clarified no final decision has been taken on a dress code for the 'ziareens'( devotees) but only gave some proposals to the Anjuman committee of the shrine.

"I have just sent some proposals to the Anjuman committee where I had just sought their consent over maintaining certain dress code in the shrine for the male and female devotees. But the dargah khadims(servers) and their Anjuman committee has blown the issue out of the proportions without reasons," he said.

"No final decision has been taken yet," he added.

The Nazim was responding to media reports that he has started the process of putting a dress code notices on board. "There is a need to maintain decorum in the shrine after the controversies where foreigners, tourists and even a film actress Katrina Kaif came here in absurd dresses," he said.

"I mean I have just asked for rumaal or dupatta to be used by women devotees to cover their heads, and for males a shirt up to elbow and pants or trousers up to the knees. I don't find anything wrong in it," Raza said.

The khadims and some devotees have reportedly voiced resentment over the move for a dress code in the shrine saying measures are already in place and that the dargah committee does not have to come up with a dress code.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Contemporary Iranian Art mixes Persian symbols with a modern approach: "Wishes and Dreams" exhibit scheduled to tour nine U.S. cities

Washington – Young Iranian artists incorporate traditional Persian symbols in many of the abstract, minimalist or even digital and video works of art currently on exhibit at the Meridian International Center in Washington.

The symbols help Iranian viewers connect to the artwork in “Wishes and Dreams: Iran’s New Generation Emerges” and to their heritage. But even for American viewers, the symbols add depth, contrast and interest. The collection of modern works – approachable and aesthetically pleasing – introduces Americans to contemporary Iran.

Exhibit co-curator Nancy Matthews of the Meridian Center said she and co-curator A. R. Sami Azar, former director of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, set out to gather a sampling of the artwork being done by emerging artists in Iran's capital, Tehran.

The exhibition, co-sponsored by the Meridian Center and the Tehran University Art Gallery, runs in Washington until July 29 and then will travel to eight other American cities through 2008. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised the artwork of the Iranian artists for creating a bridge between Iranian and American culture.

Among sweeping white brushstrokes on Rhythm 1, a black-painted diptych, are calligraphic forms. Artist Golnaz Fathi told USINFO that she enjoys the “tension” created by the calligraphy – a traditional Iranian art form – that “dances along the canvas without speaking.” Fathi uses music to inspire her; then she paints calligraphic shapes without concern for any particular letters or words.

(...)

Two Parrots Picking on a Bowl of Cherries by Rokneddin Haerizadeh “is full of Persian symbols,” co-curator Matthews said. From the wall fabric to the parrots to the cherries, the artist uses an impressionist technique to tell a story. “Persian painting has always been narrative,” Haerizadeh writes in the exhibition notes, “and I am searching for a modern narrative.” Iranians will understand the meaning of the symbols, Matthews said, and Americans will enjoy the painting because of its intimate perspective and use of everyday objects.

Bird in Flight is inspired by Forough Farokhzad’s poem “The Bird Was Only a Bird,” but the expressionist painting is about “feeling,” artist Nargess Hashemi told USINFO. Hashemi said she does not use traditional symbols in her canvas, which requires viewers’ “emotions, not brains” to connect with the work.

Matthews said many of the artists have been inspired by the 13th-century Iranian poet Jelaluddin Rumi, including Dream of a Woman by Afshin Pirhashemi. “I love Rumi’s poetry and make extensive use of its enigmatic meanings in my work,” Pirhashemi said.

A Mevlevi Sema dance, the spiritual whirling dance of the Sufis, will be performed at the Vatican on June 5 as part of the “Dialogue Between the Religions.”

Organized by the Pontifical Culture Council and Turkish Embassy in Vatican, the event will be attended by pope Benedict XVI, cardinals as well as top officials from Vatican and Italy.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Ömer Faruk Belviranlı, Konya Turkish Sufism Music Ensemble Director, said the promotional activities were scheduled abroad by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Foreign Ministry to mark 2007 Mevlana Year, declared by UNESCO.

“Sema dance performances have so far been performed in Pakistan, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of activities for Mevlana Year. On June 5, we will this time perform in the Vatican as part of ‘Dialogue Between the Religions'.

In this event we will gift an Italian language ‘Mesnevi,' a masterpiece by 13th century Turkish philosopher and poet Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, to pope Benedict XVI,” he said adding, “I believe that the event will be a significant and concrete one in the world especially at a time in which dialogue between religions is in focus.”

Sema performance at historic palace:Deniz Kılıçer from the Turkish Embassy in the Vatican said the Konya Turkish Sufism Music Ensemble would perform a Sufi concert followed by a Sema dance performance in the historical Renaissance period Palazzo della Cancelleria or Chancellery Palace.

He added, “a Sema performance will be held for the first time in the Vatican. The program will be under the auspices of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as the Foreign Ministry celebrating Mevlana Year in 2007, which also marks the 800th anniversary of the birth of Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, spiritual leader of the Islamic Sufi order.

The whirling dervishes will perform Sema at the 300-person capacity ceremony hall of the historic Chancellery Palace, the largest and most majestic historical palace of the Vatican. The program is expected to be attended by pope Benedict XVI, cardinals as well as top level bureaucrats from Vatican, Italy and Turkey.”

Konya Mayor Tahir Akyürek said that in addition to the international activities by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the municipality had also held several promotional activities abroad.

“In all these activities, we gifted Italian, German, French, English and Urdu versions of Mesnevi to foreign top level officials. This time, an Italian language Mesnevi will be given to the pope as a gift. I believe that he will be impressed with the masterpiece, which addresses all humanity,” he noted.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Lisa Gerrard was the breathtaking female voice behind Dead Can Dance. She is back after a few years of recording silence with an ambient CD titled The Silver Tree.

Gerrard sings and plays most of the instruments on the CD. Her solo style and very ethereal, combining minimal percussion at times, exquisite layers of gliding keyboards and her majestic vocals treated with reverb effects.

Her singing style is influenced by Turkish Sufism, Gregorian chant and Persian mysticism.

The use of electronic drones and orchestrations is superb. One can only wonder what Lisa Gerrard would sound like if she collaborated with ambient music master Steve Roach.

The last piece on the CD is very percussive, suggesting echoes of Dead Can Dance.

Many travellers who in the past have reported about Albania focused on the Sufi Brotherhoods, especially on the Bektashis, who in Albania represent approximately 15% of the population, which is made up of 70 % Muslims.

Therefore the myth of a Shi'ite presence in the country has been created, although the identification between Bektashis and Shi'is is improper.

These travellers of the past felt a great predilection towards the Bektashis, a predilection shared by various contemporary scholars, which was and is due to their syncretistic attitude, to the western foundation of their guidelines and lifestyle and to the consequent separation from the tradition and "uneasy" aspects of Islam.

Seen with a Western eye, we could say that the Bektashis are the “presentable relatives”, while the Sunni muslim seem to be the “rustic relation”, those that you prefer not to invite to your wedding.

The fact remains that the architectonic symbol of Albanian Islam is the mosque of Ethem Bey, started in 1792 by the famous Bektashi poet Ethem Bey and completed by his son in 1821: it is the proof that, beyond syncretism and western lifestyle, the Bektashi Brotherhood was also interested in building places for prayers.

From an interview (about Youths and Islam in Albania) to Ervin Hatibi, Albanian poet, painter and journalist, former editor-in-chief of "Drita Islame" (“The Light of Islam”)

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Zaouias (Sufi spiritual schools) are guiding people in their daily life.

People seek advice and guidance from the Shaykhs of these schools before they get married, when they want to embark on any change in their lives.

When people face a disease which doctors cannot cure, the Zaouias are solicited.

One of the Shaykhs we met in this region of Tlemcen, namely Shaykh Sari who told us a fantastic story about one of the most famous folk music singers in the region, El Ghafour, who was very ill in the 1990s but he met Shaykh Sidi Benaouda Ibn Nemamcha who advised him of isolating himself from the others and do the Secret Dhikr (Supplication to God.)

The Singer did and he recovered from his disease. “Go and meet the singer, he is Tlemcen’s Nightingale, as Bouteflika said, told Sheikh Sari, who was a witness when President Bouteflika met the Shaykh and Commander of the Hibri Sufi Path, Sidi Belkaid.

The Hibri Sufi path is one of the most famous paths in western Algeria. There are other “sub-paths” like the Mencahoui and the Ben Yeles paths.

Locals say the Hibri is the mother of all the Sufi paths in the region.

The traditional hidden Zaouias have changed as the network is now represented by an association called “The Algerian Association of Zaouias” and Shaykh Sari who has been accompanying us all along the trip is the Secretary General of the regional sub-office.

He said “our task is hard as we are a intermediary between the administration and the citizens,” “We receive so many complaints that we created reception days for citizens who wants a referee in issues related to housing, labour etc..” said Shaykh Sari.

“The local authorities received ten requests from citizens to open 10 Zaouias” said Mr. Sari who added “The role of the zaouia is important that opening one institution of this kind means the closure of a prison” Shaykh Sari continued speaking about the very “tolerant Islam preached in zawias,” “It is far from the Salafi Djihadi way”.

The salafi way to teach Islam has been very popular during a period of time, when the salafi preachers accused us of being the state’s religious representatives in the area.

“We have been through hard times and we could not speak”. Now the mureeds (followers) are so numerous that Shaykh Sari said the Sufi paths would be a tool in the “fight against the Salafi Djihadist” said Shaykh Sari.

Speaking about the national figures on the zaouias, Shaykh Sari said “There are at least 9,000 zawias” and more than “4 million mureeds - or followers”. Other Zaouias don’t request an official activity agreement form the Religious Affairs Ministry, and you can count them among us path-wise” said Mr. Sari.

About politics and the legislative elections, Shaykh Sari told us the Zaouias decided to back the National Liberation Front (FLN) because in this “We are supporting a humble man,” “And humbleness is part of the Sufi traditions, because the Sufi thinks power is only in God.”

Backing the FLN is backing President Bouteflika for the Zaouias.

“Backing President Bouteflika is backing the son of a former Moqadem or leader of the Hibri path.” “I remember when President Bouteflika was young, Shaykh Al Hibri put him on a special stone and told his father the young boy will be an important man in the future” said Shaykh Sari.

The Zaouias have become powerful in political decisions since President Bouteflika has been touring the country and visiting every Zaouia in any area he visited.

The spiritual role of this religious institution is so strong among citizens and mureeds that every politician who wants to go on a successful election race needs to have the benediction of the Shaykhs.

During our tour of the region, we covered the Labour Minister Tayeb Louh’ campaign in the Tlemcen area. The men payed a visit to the Al Achaachi Zaouia, one of the sub-paths in the Hibri Sufi tradition.

‘The Journey to the Simorgh’, which is being performed next Thursday, is a free adaptation of the novel ‘The Virtues of the Solitary Bird’ by author Juan Goytisolo. The work is billed to run on alternate days from the 4th May until the 17th of the month.

LA VOZ/CÁDIZ

The composer, José María Sánchez-Verdú (Algeciras, 1968) will be living through one of the most anticipated days of his professional career next Thursday. The Theatre Royal extends a welcome to the world premiere of his work, ‘The Journey to the Simorgh’ whose libretto is based on a free adaptation of the novel, ‘The Virtues of the Solitary Bird’ with poems and text from St. John of the Cross, Ibn al-Farid, Fariduddin al-Attar, the Song of Songs (in the translation of Fray Luis de León) and Leonardo Da Vinci.

(…)

An inner journeyIn the words of its author, “the work describes a displacement, an exodus, a search in which the places, times and personages of the novel of Juan Goytisolo constitute the stages or gardens that the birds of the Sufi story of Attar cross on their way toward the Simorgh, the mystical bird, the sought after king. In the final mystical union the plenitude produces the revelation; each one of the birds has carried the Simorgh within themselves, the journey was an inner journey in the fullness of Sufi communion.“ Along the way it is the poetry of St. John of the Cross, the great Sufi poet of the Christian West, that co-exists with the poetic voices of other great poets of the Persian and Arab traditions”, explains Sanchez-Verdú. As far as the composition goes, the work makes reference to certain elements of sixteenth century Spanish music (using the viola da gamba) and to music of the Islamic tradition; all this with the intensity and the elements that constitute the musical language of the composer. The total use of the architectonic space, in addition to dance and movement, are also substantial and essential elements in this journey.

The first edition of the world festival of Sufi meetings and musicians takes place today in Marrakesh (321 km to the south of Rabat) through the initiative of the association “The Muniya for the conservation and the revitalization of Moroccan heritage”

During a press conference for the event the organizers affirmed that the ambition of the festival is to value the cultural and spiritual identity of the country through meetings and evenings of Sufi music.

The programme of this first event includes amongst other things, lively music by Moroccan and Arab groups, and discussions on the principal theme, “Sufism: The Tree of Knowledge and of Love”. There will also be exhibitions of manuscripts of the Qur’an and of Sufi libraries.

The musical evenings which will take place in the shrines (zawiyyas) and the historical palaces and gardens of Marrakesh will be enlivened by such prestigious groups as Al-Kindi of Syria, ‘Sayed Imam’ of Egypt and Moroccan groups like ‘Al-Abasiya’ of Marrakesh and El Dakirin of Rabat.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

London: Noted Indian director Shyam Benegal will undertake a major international film on the life of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan who was a secret agent in the Second World War and was awarded the George Cross for her bravery.

Based on the best-selling and critically acclaimed book 'The Spy Princess' by journalist-cum-writer Shrabani Basu, with a screenplay by Lord Meghnad Desai and Kishwar Desai, the film will be the first Indian movie where the language will be English, French, German and Hindi.

Noor's amazing story of courage and sacrifice will be brought to celluloid by an international cast and will be shot entirely on location in Britain and France. It will be the first Indian film to be set during the Second World War.

Noor Inayat Khan, the courageous Indian woman, was the daughter of the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan and his American wife. Born in Moscow, she was brought up in France and Britain.
Noor was the first woman to be infiltrated into occupied France as a radio operator and worked undercover in Paris helping the French Resistance.

She was betrayed and captured and brutally murdered in Dachau Concentration Camp. She was awarded the George Cross by the British government and the French honoured her with the Croix de Guerre.

Lord Meghnad Desai said, "The story of Noor Inayat Khan transcends nations and cultures. It is an intensely human story of a woman brought up to tell the truth and eschew violence. Yet she fought as a spy and died in a Nazi concentration camp with the word 'Liberate' on her lips.

Noor was Indian, French and British, a Sufi and a fighter, a gentle musician and a brave soldier. This is why her appeal is cosmopolitan."

Ten Muslims and 10 Christians from within the Diocese of Leicester returned last Saturday from a pilgrimage to holy sites in Turkey.

The visit is part of an ongoing effort to build closer ties between the two faith communities and during their time in Turkey they took time to share ideas and thoughts on the significance of the holy sites they visited from their own faiths' perspective.

Stop-offs included historically important sites such as Istanbul, Ephesus, Konya -the place of the Sufi saint Rumi- and Cappadokia, and the group were also given the opportunity to learn more about modern day Turkey.

The pilgrimage brought together mostly members of Muslim-Christian dialogue groups, which have been meeting at the St Philip's Church and Centre every six weeks for the last seven years.
A reporter from BBC Radio Leicester also accompanied them on their journey, which was their boldest yet. Previous journeys had only been as far afield as Bradford, Burnley and Manchester.

The trip was organised and hosted by a Muslim dialogue organisation in Turkey.

Ankara: Brazilian Ambassador Cesario Melantonio Neto looks forward to THY’s [Türk Hava Yollari] direct flights to Brazil, hoping that not only will this increase trade, but that there will also be more cultural exchanges between Brazil and Turkey.

Mr. Ambassador is so excited about direct flights between Turkey and Brazil which “will hopefully start at the beginning of next year.” These will not just be passenger flights but also cargo ones, so trade and tourism will increase. He hopes that more Brazilian football clubs will come to Turkey, as well as music groups, exhibitions and so on.

There are already a number of Brazilian music groups regularly coming to Turkey, this means there is a direct link between the musicians of the two countries, he says.

Mr. Ambassador likes Sufi music and he says he is not unique in this matter in Brazil. He says that recently he met with a Brazilian professor who is an expert on Sufism. The professor told the Ambassador that, “It is a trend in Brazil to be interested in Sufism and the Brazilians are really reading about it.”

He explains: “This mix of Sufism or religion with a cultural approach, dance and music is very special and interesting. I am very interested in sharing this part of your culture. We are working on a project, a Mevlana exhibition in Brazil.”

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Konya: Mathnawi-i Manawi or Mesnevi, one of the most important works of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, also known as Mevlana, has been translated into 15 languages, said Mayor of Konya Tahir Akyurek last Thursday.

Akyurek told the Anatolia news agency that eight of these translations were already printed. Stating that UNESCO announced this year as Mevlana Year, Akyurek said the book was translated and printed in English, German, Italian, French, Persian, Arabic and Urdu.

"Printed editions in these languages were sent to several ministries and organizations in foreign countries," Akyurek said. He said Mesnevi was also translated into Bosnian, Japanese, Spanish, Albanian, Turkmen, Swedish and Kazakh, but had not been printed yet.

Mesnevi – by Mevlana, spiritual founder of the Mevlevi order who devoted himself to the pursuit of Sufi mysticism – comprises about 30,000 couplets in six books, a vast compendium of Sufi lore and doctrine, interspersed with fables and anecdotes.

It is especially remarkable for its insight into the laws of physics and psychology.

Srinagar: Kashmir's Grand Mufti, Mufti Muhammad Bashir-ud-Din, has issued a 'fatwa' against accepting money or help from the Indian Army in rebuilding mosques and shrines.

In a statement here, the Grand Mufti said: "The Shariat (Islamic) law does not allow any person or persons other than the Muslims to do such an act."

The Grand Mufti, according to Islamic law, has an authority to issue legal opinions and 'fatwa' (edicts) on interpretations of Islamic law.

"In my capacity as the Mufti Azam of Jammu and Kashmir, I declare that this shall be treated as a verdict within the purview of the Shariat that no person or persons, organisation or organisations other than Muslims can construct, renovate any mosque or shrine."

The fatwa further said any help from non-Muslims in the construction of mosques would be construed as interference in the religious affairs of Muslims.

The army has been lending support and financial assistance in Kashmir under Operation 'Sadbhavana' and so far over Rs.1 million has been spent for the construction and renovation of 11 shrines in the Kashmir Valley.

Reacting to the fatwa, the spokesman of the army's 15th corps, Lt. Col. A.K. Mathur said: "We only help construction/renovation of religious places if there is a request from the people.
"If the people don't want our help, there is no force from our side."

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the valley's chief priest, who is also chairman of the moderate group of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, has also criticized the army for "interference in the religious affairs of Muslims of Kashmir".

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

New Delhi: It's Thursday evening, and walking down the narrow alley in south Delhi en route to the Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin can be quite a challenge.

Jostling through the heavy crowd and resisting hordes of persistent beggars, you just might get tempted to change your mind. But as you draw closer, the faint sound of the 'qawwali', the eternal Sufi song, reaches your ears. And the magic takes over.

After passing through the labyrinth of lanes, both sides of which are huddled with numerous shops selling rosaries, flower trays, incense sticks, prayer mats and prayer books, one reaches the Dargah's premises.

Even in the ocean of voices and fevering prayers of people from every caste and creed who come to the Dargah, the sound of the qawwals or Sufi singers stand out and makes one take a seat and be enthralled by it.

Sitting with their harmoniums in the central courtyard of the Dargah, the qawwals sing with passion and whole-heartedly, creating an euphoric ambience. As their voices rise and fall, the heat, the sweat or any other discomfort that one might have, simply evaporates.

People gather in hundreds, some standing and others sitting cross-legged. No one is complaining; no one is pushing. Probably it's because of the spell that the singers create; even in the sweltering heat with no fans, people enjoy the music in peace.

Qawwali began when the founder of the Chishti order of Sufism, Moinuddin Chishti, came from Baghdad to Ajmer, Rajasthan, in the 13th century. A century later, the artistic genius Amir Khusrau, who also is popularly recognized as the creator of the tabla and the sitar, organized what Moinuddin began, and qawwali was born.

One of the most popular stories the qawwals like to tell is of the 'Qawwal Bachche'. Hazrat Amir Khusrau wanted to do something special for his 'sheikh' (spiritual mentor) Nizamuddin.
So he found 12 especially talented young boys and trained them to perform the ragas he had composed. The sheikh was very pleased with their performance and these 12 boys became to be known as the 'Qawwal Bachche'.

The qawwals in Nizamuddin's dargah refer to themselves as Qawwal Bachche because they trace their lineage back to one of those 12 children.

Qawwali has been passed from father to son through the generations, with an emphasis on the children remembering the poetry and correct pronunciation of the words because many of the songs are in Persian. But the style has been allowed to adapt to the changing times in order to make the music appealing to each new generation. Changes include incorporating new rhythms and new instruments, such as the harmonium, introduced in the early 19th century and now synonymous with the qawwali sound.

As the qawwals at the Dargah sing tirelessly, people come and put crisp currency notes near their feet. It doesn't really matter how much one donates because no one asks for it. Those who give do it on their own will.

The trance breaks as the qawwals take a break for namaaz. As you walk back through the same alley the noise seems much subdued, the aroma of the biryani and the haleem seems to fill the place and you don't mind the tugging and the pulling.
The spell is broken but not before leaving a smile on your face.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Bhagalpur (Bihar): For eight long years, a 65-year-old Hindu man has been managing with care and devotion a Sufi shrine after Muslims hit hard by the 1989 communal violence gave it up.

Suresh Bhagat, who has virtually deserted his family in the process, says he enjoys every minute he spends at the 300-year-old shrine of Bazid Dargah Pahalwan, a revered Muslim preacher, in Amapur village some 20 km away.

The last of the Muslim families left the village in 1999, a decade after Bihar's worst communal riots killed hundreds and marked the end of Congress dominance over Bihar.

Bhagat sleeps on an elevated platform supported by bamboo poles near the shrine, close to a cremation site on the bank of the Ganga, a river of great religious significance for Hindus. "No sense of fear has crossed my dreams even once," Bhagat told IANS.

The villagers decided to take care of the historical shrine after Kamo Miyan, the last Muslim caretaker of the dargah, shifted to Bhagalpur town in 1999. Bhagat was ready to take up the task. There was initial resistance from his wife and their three sons but the man had his way.

Amapur village had 12 Muslim families, of which seven perished in the 1989 riots. The surviving families moved to Bhagalpur and Kahalgoan town over the years. "They left the village because of a high sense of insecurity among them," said RamPrasad, a villager.

Bhagat does not know how to follow Muslim rituals. He knows how to put the ceremonial 'chadar' on the 'mazaar'. He offers the remains of burnt incense sticks to Hindu and Muslim devotees who throng the shrine from Ekchari, Bhagalpur and Ghogha areas and from even Kolkata and Lucknow.

Illiterate Bhagat wishes he could offer prayers but he prefers to internalize his respect for Islam.
"Though I do not know the nitty-gritty of any religion, every religion talks of love and peace," he says.

Every evening, Anil, the rickshaw puller son of Bhagat, comes to see his father at the shrine and hands over a lunch box to him.

Bhagat has one dream: "I wish there is such love among Hindus and Muslims that when Hindus fast, Ramzan should fall on the very day."

Says Wasi Alam, a Muslim resident of Bhagalpur town: "What Bhagat does is a great example of communal harmony. God loves all and accepts everybody's offer and prayer."

[picture: Mangifera indica, India's national fruit.

Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Lahore: Prominent artist and social activist Jimmy Engineer has called for national unity and integrity at this critical juncture of the Pakistan’s history.

In a press statement, Jimmy Engineer said that everyone irrespective of political affiliations should work for the progress of the country.

He said that Pakistan belongs to more than 160 million people and is not just for a particular community, group or class. He said the national interests have to be safeguarded and promoted and not to be sacrificed and brushed aside for petty interests, prejudices and biases.

He said that he is great admirer of the teachings of popular saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh and follower of Sufi Barkat Ali of Risalewala near Faisalabad and by adhering to spiritualism and Sufism, Pakistanis could overcome all our problems, avoid bloodshed, violence and arson.

It is an integral part of Kashmiri culture – Sufism or the Sufi tradition -- evident in the hundreds of shrines that dot the valley with followers that run into hundreds.

But in the volatile valley, faith is embroiled in a confrontation between the men who are caretakers of the shrines and the men in uniform who have almost become the other prominent feature of the valley -- the army.

Muslim leaders are angry after the army helped renovate a mosque claiming Islam does not permit any non-Muslim to do so and allege the move has political motives. “If the army does not stop interfering, a severe agitation will be led against them,” threatened Hurriyat Conference Leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

However, the army insists there is a misunderstanding and says it was just an attempt to improve contact with the locals.

The cities of Cologne (Köln) and İstanbul are marking the 10th anniversary of their being declared sister cities with a series of cultural events due to take place in both cities in May and June, the organizers announced in a written statement this week.

The first leg of the activities, organized by the Greater İstanbul Municipality's culture entity Kültür A.Ş., is currently under way in Cologne through June 1, with famous Turkish musicians Fazıl Say, Burhan Öçal and Kudsi Erguner performing concerts for Cologne audiences.

A folkloric dance show by Anadolu Ateşi (Fire of Anatolia) and an Ottoman janissary band show are among events in the lineup in addition to an exhibition of panoramic photographs of İstanbul; Turkish movie screenings; a traditional sema performance by whirling dervishes and a conference focusing on the teachings of Sufi saint and poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi by Sufi history expert Mahmut Erol Kılıç.

The second leg of the activities will take place June 1-4 in İstanbul with support from the Municipality of Cologne.

The event, which is in a way a preparation for the 2010 European Culture Capital activities, will help the residents of the two cities develop a better mutual understanding, the statement said.

The organizers said the program would later be featured in other important cities of the East and the West.

The scenic Nurpur Shahan at the foothills of Margalla in the federal capital bears the nonpareil honour of being the resting place of an eminent and great Sufi saint Syed Abdul Latif Kazmi, popularly known as Barri Imam.

During the five-day annual Urs of great Sufi Saint - commencing from Sunday, May 27- the devotees from across the country will not only offer obeisance but will also invoke Allah's blessing to get their wishes answered.

With traditional beat of drum, folk dances and multi-coloured flags, the devotees -including some of them bare-footed- have started pouring in the town to express their devotion and reverence to the great Sufi saint.

Brisk arrangements have been put in place by the Islamabad Territory Administration, Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Police and Auqaf Department to welcome devotees, coming for this bustling event.

Renovation of the shrine of Barri Imam is in full swing amidst future plans to re-build a befitting shrine with revised estimated cost which may exceed Rs 600 million [USD 9,910,361.--].

All possible arrangements are underway to facilitate the devotees and the roads leading to the shrine of Barri Imam have been widened to ensure smooth flow of traffic during the Urs.

Vehicles, carrying special permission will ply between Nurpur Shahan and its adjoining areas from key points in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, along with private buses, wagons and Suzuki pickups, to facilitate the devotees to the shrine.

Dancing, gambling and use of loud speakers will remain banned during the `Urs'.

A local holiday is a usual feature to be announced by the administration every year to commemorate the Urs and to facilitate the devotees. Auqaf Department plans to distribute free food among the devotees daily throughout the `Urs'.

A tent village of devotees, emerged on the eve of Urs can be seen around the dried-up stream along with burning candles. The adjoining hills of the shrine will bustle with life as arrangements for illumination have also been finalised.

Brisk shopping in a narrow but colourful bazaar adjoining the shrine adds beauty to the event. Most of shopkeepers are seen selling `Nokuls (white sugar coated sweets), dry dates, bangles and bracelets with sacred words engraved on them.
Sweets, traditional halwa-puri, flowers and garlands remain cardinal feature of festive ambience on the occasion. These are also taken by the devotees as sacred gifts for nears and dears.

The real festivities of Urs take a boost with the arrival of the traditional Daali from Peshawar, which was started by Hazrat Shah Muhammad Ghous (buried in Lahore).
The crowds (Daali) keep growing as an annual recurrence with the accompanied rituals becoming more colourful and fascinating. Participants of the "Daali" (offering) proceed on foot, covering over 100 miles journey in a week. The devotees march towards the shrine of the Great saint through specific routes.

The long awaited procession swells as more and more devotees join it on way. They
carry the Daali, called `Takht-e-Rawan' (Floating Throne), entailing eighteen bottles of rose scent and Henna (Mehndi).

The devotees start their toughest and non-stop journey to shrine of Hazrat Barri Imam through Hattain and ultimately, the Daali reaches the capital via Burhan, Golra Sharif, Margalla hills and Pir Sohawa, where it is accorded warm welcome by masses and officials of the Auqaf Department.

Born in 1026 Hijra (1617 AD) in village Karsaal (Chakwal), Barri Imam attracted both Muslims and non-Muslims. His piety, revolutionary ideas and simple way of life earned respect and honour for him among his people. He adopted those rejected by the society as outcasts.

His father, Syed Mahmood Badshah (whose mazar is visited daily by hundreds of people near Aabpara), shifted his family from Karsaal to village Bagh-e-Kalan (now Islamabad) when Barri Imam was 10 year old. He was the eldest son. He had only one sister, who died soon after her marriage. His father taught him at home.

Later, he was sent to Ghour Ghashi (Attock) where he studied "Fiqah" "Hadith" and Mathematics. He travelled extensively including Kashmir, Badkhshan, Mashhed, Najaf-i-Ashraf, Karbala, Baghdad, Hijaz, Egypt, Damascus, Madina Munawara and Mekka Mukarama to bag knowledge and wisdom.

His ancestral tree is traced to Great Imam Hazart Moosa Kazim (AS). He had uncanny knack for picking and retaining things since childhood. Barri had full command over Holy Quran, Hadith, Fiqah, Logic and Arithmetic.
He adopted four caliphs--Inayat Shah, Shah Hussain, Mithay Shah and Deen or Dang Shah. Three of them are buried in Nurpur Shahan while Inayat Shah is buried in Sindh.

Several non-Muslims embraced Islam due to Barri Imam' spiritual preaching and exemplary character.

He passed away in 1117 Hijra (1708 AD) at the age of 91 years after having spread the light of truth and simplicity which transformed the village Churpur into Nurpur.

The best way to pay befitting homage to Hazrat Barri Imam is that his message and teachings may be followed in letter and spirit. A public Trust, comprising the sincere, honest and educated devotees, may be set up to monitor and regulate the income and expenses of the Barri Imam's shrine in a transparent manner.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Islamabad: A curious amalgam of traditional miniature art and innovative abstract art is on display in a painting exhibition at the Alliance Francaise d’Islamabad.

Nine National College of Arts students have exhibited their masterpieces in the exhibition.

They have painstakingly used Mughal and Persian figurative drawing techniques to understand miniature painting composition. They have used the techniques called ‘pardakt’ and ‘gadrang’ (using squirrel hairbrush) in landscapes, architecture, pattern designing and floral and geometrical patterns.

(...)

The work of Aakif Sauri, inspired by Sufism, attempts to capture the essence of love, beauty and spirituality. He has tried to spread the massage of Sufi poets among the new generation.

Kauser Iqbal has wonderfully portrayed different rural norms and customs in Pakistan by showing women busy in their routine chores.

(...)

Nauman Ghauri’s work is a visual voyage of Egyption religious rituals and mythology.

Jalalluddin Babar’s paintings explore the concept of faith by depicting the night of ‘Shab-e-Miraj’.

M Saleh tries to remind his people through his work that they were not always inferior to the West and that they should not waste their energies and talents on imitating the West.

“The caravan of love, the wisdom of the Sufis, music and tales” will be a real opportunity to dedicate oneself, at least for one evening, to the acquaintance of the other and of us.

Tonight, May 25, 9.15 pm, third appointment of a series of three, “Islam in casa” (Islam at home) is organized in order to approach the East and the West, in collaboration with the township of Fucecchio (Florence) and various Interfaith Groups.

Some elements of the Sufi tradition are music and the tales, which act on various levels. Music has a deep and positive effect on the spirit. The Sufi tales are, instead, anecdotes and episodes, much simple and often apparently conflicting.

New details are emerging concerning the detention in Iran this week of a prominent Sufi leader.

Nurali Tabandeh (aka Majzub Ali Shah), the leader of the Nematollah Gonabadi order, was detained on May 21 and forcibly taken from the northeastern city of Gonabad -- where the leaders of the order have lived and been buried for centuries -- to Tehran.

A representative of the order told RFE/RL today that the 80-year-old Tabandeh was released in Tehran after being detained for about 10 hours.

Authorities had earlier called on Tabandeh to leave Gonabad, but Tabandeh had refused to leave his city of birth. In October, 300 security forces surrounded Tabandeh's Gonabad residence in an effort to force him to leave the city.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Army in Kashmir is no longer restricting its role to military operations. The latest in its war “for hearts and minds” is the construction and renovation of Sufi ziyarats (shrines) and mosques across the Valley.

So when the Army talks of kills, arrests and recoveries, its counter-insurgency operations will now also include a new page in its report card:

“This effort is part of our Operation Sadbhavana. We wanted to send out a message that army is not just meant for war, it also provides help to people,” said Defence spokesman Lt. Col A K Mathur.

Although the Army stresses that the aim behind this move is only to help people, the material support for Sufi ziyarats has an underlying interest in the Sufi school of thought which the government believes is “more accommodative and apolitical”.

And when Governor Lt. Gen. S K Sinha inaugurated the renovated complex of Ziyarat Ayatullah Aga Syed Mehdi at Budgam, he said that though the Army is a secular institution and has respect for all religions, “We revere the Sufi strain of Islam, especially of the Reshi order in Kashmir”.

The Army put the cost of the entire project at Rs 18 lakh and termed the Ziyarat in Budgam, as a symbol of the “spirit of Kashmiriyat and tolerance of all faiths.”

We notice that in your calligraphies there is a dialogue, a mixing of cultures…Indeed, a dialogue between Eastern civilizations, Mesopotamian, Phenician and Muslim-Arabic…
I like that all my calligraphies are drawn from the work of Tawhidi, this great Arabic-Persian thinker.

Algerian artist Yazid Kheloufi (b. 1963), who will soon exhibit in Paris, interviewed by C. Berriah for Algerian Daily El Watan about his materic art and his relationship to calligraphy and sufism.

It is not a secret that your works feel mysticism?!Certainly not, as you know, my painting is based on the great sufi repertory and the illuminative philosophy which was founded by famous Chihab Eddine Al Suhrawardi.

It is true that you cannot do without calligraphy?For me, Islamic calligraphy remains an interior topography of oneself. The presence of the Arab letter is very strong in the imaginary of a Muslim, much more than the image.

I give you an example: the image cannot serve the divine message, whereas the letter is abstract and the divine one is abstract. Allah, the name of God in Islam, cannot be represented in image, whereas the letter and the alphabet can serve the divine one…

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

New production by avant-garde director Robert Wilson set to premiere in Athens next week.

What do you see when you blink? A piece of reality? A fragment of a dream? Avant-garde director and playwright Robert Wilson has come up with a few answers and is about to unveil them to the world next week.

The world premiere of “Rumi: In the Blink of the Eye” is scheduled to take place in Athens as the final part of the Attiki Cultural Society’s spring theater festival at the Pallas theater on May 28, 29, 30 and 31.

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273) the poet considered the greatest of Sufi mystics, became the founding father of the Mevlevi Order, otherwise known as the Whirling Dervishes.

Discovered by Western travelers in the 19th century, the Whirling Dervishes have long fascinated international audiences. In this new work featuring Turkish and Farsi texts, Eastern traditions are combined with contemporary Western creation. With UNESCO billing 2007 as International Rumi Year, the production is the first installment of a three-year “Rumi Project,” celebrating 800 years since the poet’s birth.

Featuring vocalists, musicians and dancers, “Rumi: In the Blink of the Eye,” is part of Wilson’s universe of images, movement and sound – or no sound at all.

“Stillness and what we hear in silence,” said Wilson as he described parts of the production, at a recent meeting with the press in Athens. “Being silent we become aware of sound.”
On stage, Wilson shows a penchant for slow movement and austerity. What the French define as “silent operas,” he calls working on “structured silences.”

The new show focuses on “interior visual screens” versus “exterior visual screens.” According to the director, we often forget about how we perceive things and focus on the information we receive from the outside world.

This is one of the reasons why Wilson takes a twofold approach to his work. First he directs the work silently, without text and music. Then he goes through it adding the audio score. In the end, the two versions come together, not necessarily reflecting each other.

“It’s similar to listening to drama on radio, you’re free to imagine the visual side,” said Wilson in explaining the process. “Or when watching a silent movie, you can hear the sound.”

Time also remains a fundamental aspect of Wilson’s explorations on stage. For one, he has used time as a defining and often defying element: He has gone from plays lasting seven days to creating works of 30 seconds. In between, there have been works presented during 24 hours or even 12 – next week’s premiere lies in the 70-minute range.

Directed and designed by Wilson, “Rumi: In the Blink of the Eye” is based on an original score by Turkish composer Kudsi Erguner.

For Wilson, it is also a journey back in time, to when he was preparing “Ka Mountain and Guardenia Terrace” in 1972. The play, which was staged for seven consecutive days on seven different hills in Iran, was followed by six-hour daily stagings in New York. Rumi’s poetry re-entered the director’s life in 1998, for his work in “Monsters of Grace,” in tandem with Philip Glass. This time round, Wilson stayed with Erguner in Istanbul, attending Sufi ceremonies and talking to local teachers and artists.

Brushing aside the intellectual aspect of his work, Wilson aims to keep his productions accessible to all: children, educated or uneducated audiences. The mystery, he says, is in the surface.
“The most important thing is to experience,” he said. “If you know what it is that you’re doing, don’t do it.”

Tehran: Iran has arrested the leader of one of its largest Sufi sects as well as other members of his order in the northeast of the country, the reformist Etemad daily reported on Tuesday.

Noor Ali Tabandeh, also known as Majzub Ali Shah, is the leader of the Nematollahi order which is based in the northeastern province of Khorasan but has followers all over Iran.

“On Monday morning, Dr. Noor Ali Tabandeh, the head of Gonabadi Dervishes and a group of other dervishes were arrested in Aliabad village near Bidokht, Gonabad,” the report said. It added that another member of the sect - known as Nematollahis or Gonabadi Dervishes - was arrested in the clerical capital of Qom for refusing to pay a fine for February 2006 riots in the city.

Sufi worship is not illegal in Iran but the practice is frowned upon by many conservative clerics who regard it as an affront to Islam.

Several dozen Sufi mystics were sentenced to lashes and a year in jail for public disorder in connection with the riots in Qom, pitting the Sufis against security forces and hardline supporters of the official brand of Shiite Islam.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The world-famous Turkish satirical folktale character Nasreddin Hodja will this year take to the streets of the Netherlands, where he will add yogurt culture to the Meuse River, in an annual reconstruction of one of the most famous Nasreddin Hodja tales.

The event, organized for the second year in the Netherlands by Konya's Akşehir Municipality in collaboration with the Netherlands Mosaic Culture and Art Foundation, will take place May 25-27, reported the Anatolia news agency.

The event, held annually in Konya's Akşehir, where Nasreddin Hodja is believed to have lived, is a call for universal tolerance as the symbolic Hodja adds the culture of tolerance to Akşehir Lake.

Last year's event in the Netherlands drew huge interest from both Dutch and Turkish population in the Netherlands, said Akşehir Mayor Mustafa Baloğlu, adding that they handed out 5,000 books of Nasreddin Hodja tales to the public.

This year's event is scheduled to take place in Rotterdam, where the symbolic "Nasreddin Hodja will be welcomed [by the organization committee] on Schiedamseweg Street. From there we will walk to the banks of the Meuse River, where Hodja will pour the culture of love and tolerance into the river's waters. We will also be handing out 5,000 books of Nasreddin Hodja tales to spectators. The books are in four languages: Turkish, English, Arabic and Dutch," he said.

"We want Nasreddin Hodja to become known by all children," he added. The event will also feature Sufi music performances.

Nasreddin Hodja is a satirical Sufi figure who is believed to have lived during the Middle Ages -- around the 13th century -- in central Anatolia. His legendary sense of humor and stories are thought to be based on the words of a well-known imam.

Numerous historical sources claim Nasreddin was born in 1208 near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Akşehir, where he died around 1284. His tomb is also in Akşehir.

As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he is most often called.

Today his stories are told in a wide variety of regions and have been translated into numerous languages. In many regions Nasreddin is a major part of the culture and is quoted frequently in daily life.

Ludhiana: The hovering communal tension in the air took a backseat last night as Ustaad Badar-uz-Zaman and Ustaad Qamar-uz-Zaman began the process of healing souls through Sufi music. Hailing from Pakistan, these two singers took the audience through a journey of Sufi kalams interspersed with commentary, to help the people understand this genre.

The Sufi evening, titled Sada-e sufi was a presentation of Sufi Foundation, headed by former DGP Punjab Dr A A Siddqui.

The Lahore-based brothers began unraveling their magic with a Punjabi rendition of Kasur Gharana bandish. The brother duo had the audience mesmerized with their next kalam, Sadi gal sundaja ve sohneiya. Post this, Baba Bulleh Shah ruled the night with the audience sending in their list of demands.

The trained and experienced singers, after pointing that “Sufism is not just belting out kalams It is a direct connection with the Almighty” had a piece of advice for the aspirants in their field.

“Hard work and training is a must. The knowledge of sur, taal, laay, lyrics is all very important, and above all, learn to identify your area of expertise. One person cannot do it all - pen lyrics, compose music and sing too.”

A Tajik university has held a conference on Rumi and Goethe to compare views of the two poets on the interaction between the East and the West.

Titled "Dialogue among Cultures", the international event was held at Khujand State University, south of Tajikistan on Wednesday and Thursday.

A number of scholars and intellectuals from Iran, Germany, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan attended the ceremony which was held to mark the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth.

The Secretariat of the conference said a total of 110 articles, reports and research papers on the linguistic, literary and societal dimensions of Rumi and Goethe were submitted to the event. The participating countries also decided to host similar events as part of an initiative to boost cultural ties.

Jalal ad-Din Mohammad Balkhi, known in the West as Rumi, was born in 1207. His major works are "Mathnavi" and "Divan-e Shams". UNESCO has named 2007 as the year of Rumi. Numerous conferences and literary forums have been held all over the world to celebrate the poet known as "the poet of nations".

Persian literature has influenced many writers and cultures outside its boundaries. One of the best examples is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet, dramatist, novelist, theorist, humanist, scientist and painter whose most enduring work is "West-Ostlicher Divan" (The West-Eastern Divan).

The West-Eastern Divan, and Goethe's collection of poetry in general, gradually came to function as a leading model for religious and literary syntheses between the west and the east.

Goethe has put enchanting and voluptuous customs into poetry, and his verses are so perfect, so harmonious, so tasteful, so soft, that it seems really surprising that he should ever have been able to have brought the German language to this state of suppleness.

Spirit let us bridegroom call,
and the word the bride;
known this wedding is to all
who have Hafis tried.

Hafis, straight to equal thee,
one would strive in vain;
though a ship with majesty
cleaves the foaming main,

Prominent Iranian Sufi leader Nurali Tabandeh (aka Majzub Ali Shah) was detained today by security forces on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Gonabad.

Tabandeh loyalists claimed that several of his supporters were beaten and detained along with him.

The reason for the arrest of Tabandeh, the leader of the Nematollah Gonabadi order, is unclear.

In October, 300 security forces surrounded Tabandeh's Gonabad residence after he refused to leave his city of birth. Gonabad is the birthplace of the leaders of the Nematollahi Gonabadi dervish order, many of whom lived and were buried there.

Tabandeh's arrest has upset many supporters, who have said they will peacefully protest his arrest and call for his release.

One of Tabandeh's loyalists in Tehran who asked not to be identified told RFE/RL that this arrest followed calls by authorities for him to leave Gonabad.
"Some time ago, intelligence officials in Mashhad said [Tabandeh] should leave [the city], but he said, 'I will remain in Bidokht' -- because there was no legal reason for him to leave the city and go to Tehran and because they had asked to do that forcefully and illegally," the supporter said.
"It's been 15 days now [since the warning] that he had stayed in Bidokht. But they acted like thieves -- they arrested him on the road [to Aliabad] -- they didn't come to Bidokht."

The same source said some supporters have considered far more serious acts to draw attention to what they regard as official persecution.

"By tomorrow, all the [dervishes] will depart for Bidokht -- they're going from different provinces to Bidokht," the source said. "Two of the dervishes had wanted to immolate themselves in front of the governor's office because none of the officials have provided a response. But other dervishes prevented that from happening because it could have a negative impact. But they cannot end this story like this. What the government has done is illegal."

Increasing pressure on religious minorites high-profile cases like Tabandeh's suggest that pressure on minority religious groups, like Sufis and dervishes, has increased in Iran.

Last year, a Sufi house of worship was destroyed in Qom, and hundreds of Sufis were detained.

The U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom said in a May 2 statement that an already "poor" government record on religious freedom had deteriorated in the past year -- particularly for religious groups like Sufi Muslims and Evangelical Christians.

Critics are likely to claim that Iranian authorities' latest move against the leader of the Nematollahi order is another sign of intolerance toward those who do not practice Islam as it is promoted by the political and religious establishment.
Several conservative clerics have in recent months described Sufism as a danger to Islam.

Tabandeh's Nematollahi Gonabadi order is reportedly among the largest Sufi groups in Iran.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Once upon a time a poor woodsman and his wife had three sons, and though they struggled, they had one great gift. The woodsman's wife was the cleverest woman in the land. People said she could solve any problem.

The king had heard of this woman and wanted to know more about her, so he called all his wise men to court. "If there is a woman who is this wise, I want to reward her," said the king. "But if this is untrue, we must punish her and her family. We cannot have these rumors flying."

The wise men came up with a plan. They sent a poor fakir, a Sufi mystic, into the forest near the woodsman's home and announced to all that the fakir in the forest would read anyone's future.

The woodsman at once sent his eldest son. "Go find out your future," he said. "Find out if you shall always be poor."

The oldest son walked into the woods until he reached the fakir. "I wish to know my future," he said. "I can tell you," the fakir answered, "but first you must explain something I will show you," and he magically caused a scene to appear. A vast field filled with stalks of grain was surrounded by a fence made of sticks. As the boy watched, the sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down every stalk. Soon there was only a barren field, and then it vanished.

"What does this mean?" the fakir asked the first son.
"It means nothing," said the young man. "It is only magic."

"Now I can tell your future," the fakir said. "You are destined to be stone," and he turned the young man into stone.

When his first son did not return home, the woodsman sent his second son into the forest. "Find your brother and learn your future if you can."
Before long the second son came upon the fakir. "Can you tell me where my brother has gone?" he asked.
The fakir said nothing.
"Well," said the second son, "can you tell me my future?"
"That I can," said the fakir, "but first you must explain something," and this time he conjured up a scene of a calf and her mother, a healthy cow. But the calf was not drinking from her mother. Rather, the cow was drinking milk from her calf. Then the scene magically vanished.

"Explain this scene," the fakir said.
"It's meaningless," said the second son.
"I know your future," said the fakir, and he turned the second son to stone.

At last the woodsman sent his youngest son into the woods. When he reached the praying man, the boy asked for his brothers, but the fakir did not say a word. The boy looked at the two stones, and after a moment of silence he asked, "I wonder, can you tell me my future?

"That I can," said the fakir, "but first explain what you are about to see," and he magically revealed an old man carrying a huge load of wood. Still the old man walked along, bending to pick up every stick he saw. Then, just as quickly this scene vanished, and the fakir said, "Tell me, what does this mean?"
"Nothing," said the third son, and he too was turned to stone.

Worried for his sons' well-being, the woodsman at last ventured into the woods, and when he reached the fakir he said, '"I am looking for my sons. We all wish to know our future."

"I can tell you," said the fakir, "but first tell me what this means," and he revealed a scene of a large, overflowing pond spilling water into smaller ponds surrounding it. Soon the largest pond was dry, and the scene disappeared.

"What does this mean?" asked the fakir.
"Who knows?" said the woodsman, and naturally the fakir turned him to stone.

Now the woodsman's wife walked into the woods to find her family, and before long she came upon the fakir. "Have you seen my husband and my sons?" she asked. "I am searching for them. They came here to ask you their future."

"I silenced them," said the fakir. "Rumors of your cleverness have caused too much talk among people. If you are as clever as you claim, you would find them."

"I see them," said the woman, and she pointed to the stones. "You have turned them to stone. Why would you mistreat those who have made no trouble?"
"They could not answer my riddles," said the fakir, "but if you can, I shall return them to you."

"I shall try," said the woodsman's wife, and the fakir called up the scene of the stalks of grain and fence of sticks. Again those sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down the grain. The woodsman's wife smiled. "This is about a person asked to look after money. The rightful owner comes to ask for its return, but the caretaker has used it up and has nothing remaining."

She finished speaking, and her eldest son reappeared.

Then the fakir conjured up the cow and calf, and the woodsman's wife smiled again. "This reminds me of a lazy woman who lives off her child," she said, "like a neighbor of ours."
And the second boy reappeared.

The fakir revealed the old man carrying a load of wood; as he gathered sticks, the woodsman's wife bent her head and said softly, "Ah, the image of someone never satisfied with what he has," and so the third child reappeared.

"One last riddle," said the fakir, and he called up the pond emptying its water into the smaller ponds around it until it was completely dry.

The woman sighed. "Sadly, this is the way of the world. Often one person gives all that she has and receives nothing in return until she is empty and has nothing more to offer."

And the woman's husband reappeared.

Now the fakir said: '"I can foretell something more of the future. If you had failed to answer my riddles, five stones would be standing here, five stones upon which future woodsmen would sharpen their axes. But the king will be pleased to know that such a clever woman lives in our land, and so he shall reward you."

When the king learned that the woodsman's wife was clever indeed, he sent her a big bag of gold. The family lived happily ever after, grateful to their king for his reward, but most grateful all to the cleverest woman in the land.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Islam was introduced in the Valley of Kashmir not by conquest but by gradual conversion effected by Muslim Missionaries.

Islam is essentially a missionary religion and the Muslim Missionary, be he a Pir (a spiritual guide) or a preacher, carries with him the Message of Islam to the people of the Land he enters.

A Missionary has the spirit of truth in his heart which cannot rest till it manifests itself in thought, word, and deed.

The Muslim Missionary who had entered the Valley in the spirit of truth influenced its people by his example, his personal methods of preaching, and his persuasion. The first missionary to visit Kashmir in the time of Raja Suhadeva was Bilal Shah or Bulbul Shah; a well travelled Musavi Sayyid from Turkistan.

G.M.D Sufi in his history of Kashmir, “Kashir”, mentions that the original name of Bulbul Shah was Sharaf-ud-Din Syed Abdur Rahman Turkistani and he was a spiritual disciple of Shah NimatullahWali Farsi, a Khalifa of the Suhrawardi School of Sufis founded by Shaikh-ush-Shuyukh Shaikh Shihab-ud-Din Suhrawardi.

The simplicity of faith of Bulbul Shah impressed Rinchan, (the ruler of Kashmir who was originally a Ladakhi); so much that he converted to Islam and became the first Muslim Ruler of Kashmir as Sultan Sadar-ud-Din. After the conversion of Rinchan, his brother-in-law who was the Commander-in-Chief converted, and according to one tradition, ten thousand Kashmiris adopted Islam.

For new converts a place of gathering was set up on the banks of River Jehlum called Bulbul Lankar ( a distortion of word Langar) and a mosque was constructed which is probably in ruins now.

The arrival of a host of other Sayyids gave a big boost to conversion of people of Kashmir to Islam. The prominent among these were Sayyid Jalal-ud-Din of Bukhara, Sayyid Taj-ud-Din (cousin of Shah-i-Hamadan), and Sayyid Hussain Simanani. Sufi’s “Kashir” gives a very detailed account of the spread of Islam in Kashmir as well as mentions about the arrival of various Muslim Missionaries. However, according to Sufi, the greatest missionary whose personality wielded the most extraordinary influence in the spread of Islam in Kashmir was Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani also known as Amir-I-Kabir or Ali-I-Sani and popularly called Shah-i-Hamadan.

He belonged to the Kubrawi order of Sufis founded by Shaikh Najm-ud-Din Kubra of Khwarizm who died in 618 A.H (1221 A.D.). The Kubrawis are a branch of the Suhrawardi Sufis. The great Sayyid Ali Hamadani was born on 12th Rajab 714 (1314 A.D.) in Hamadan, Iran. He was son of Sayyid Shihab-ud-Din bin Mir Sayyid Muhammad Hussaini and his mother’s name was Fatima. His genealogy can be traced to Hazrat Ali through Imam Hussain, he being sixteenth in direct descent from Ali Bin Abi Talib.

Sayyid Ali Hamadani became Hafiz-I-Qur’an in his very early boyhood and studied Islamic Theology. His maternal uncle Sayyid Alala-ud-Din Simnani taught him Tasawwuf or Sufi mysticism. He became a disciple of Shaikh Abul Barakat Taqi-ud-Din Ali Dusti and after his death of Shaikh Sharaf-ud-Din Mahmud Muzdaqani who desired him to complete his education by extensive travel in the world.

In pursuance to the desire of Sayyid Muzdaqani, he journeyed for 21 years and visited several countries. According to Amin Ahmad Razi, Shah-i-Hamadan travelled three times all over the world and met 1,400 saints with whose association he gained extensive knowledge. After completing these travels he returned to Hamadan but the rise of Timur made him to leave for the valley of Kashmir with 700 Sayyids in the reign of Sultan Shihab-ud-Din 774 A.H. (1374 A.D.).

The Sultan had gone on an expedition against the ruler of Ohind (near Attock) and his brother Sultan Qutub-ud-Din was acting for him. Shah-i-Hamadan stayed for four months and then went to the scene of the battle and persuaded the belligerents to come to peace. Shah-i-Hamadan then left for Makkah and came back to the valley in 781 A.H. (1379 A.D.) and stayed for two and a half years. He then went to Turkistan via Ladakh in 783 A.H. (Near Leh in Shey there is a mosque attributed to him where he had prayed.)

The third visit of Shah-i-Hamadan took place in 785 A.H. (1383 A.D.) but he had to leave Kashmir on account of ill health and stayed with the ruler of Pakhli, Sultan Muhammad at his personal request for ten days. He then retired to the vicinity of Kunar where after a short stay he had a relapse on 1st Zilhijja 786 (1384 A.D.) and ate nothing for five days. On Tuesday, the 5th of Zilhijja, he drank water several times, and on the night of the same day he breathed his last at the age of 72.

On his death-bed Bismilla-hir-Rahim Nir Raheem was on his lips, and this, strangely enough, gives the date of his demise. The Sultan of Pakhli wished to bury the Sufi Saint there but his disciples wanted to carry him to Khatlan for burial. To decide the issue they invited the Sultan to move the bier with the corpse over it. However, he could not even stir it from its place. But a single disciple of his was able to lift it and bear it away on his head.

A shrine was erected at the honoured place of his death which now falls in Tehsil Mansera of District Hazara of North West Frontier Province.

(The actual burial place of Shah-i-Hamadan is a popular Shrine in the Khatlan province of Tajikistan. Last year a colleague had gone there from Kashmir. At the moment there is no direct flight from India to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. One has to fly to Sharjah and then take a flight to Dushanbe. The other alternative is to fly to Tashkent in Uzbekistan and then go by road. From Dushanbe it is a three hour drive to the town of Koolab where the Shrine is located. It is quite well maintained and well kept. Once Srinagar Airport starts functioning as an International Airport, it will be possible to visit the Shrine of Shah-i-Hamadan in a matter of few hours.)

The presence of Shah-i-Hamadan was a major factor in the spread of Islam in the valley of Kashmir. His co-workers included Mir Sayyid Haidar, Sayyid Jamal-ud-Din, Sayyid Kamal-i-Sani, Sayyid Jamal-ud-Din Alai, Sayyid Rukn-ud-Din, Sayyid Muhammad and Sayyid Azizullah. These Sayyids established Shrines with lodging and langar at many places in the valleywhich served as centres for propogation of Islam.

The local Hindu ascetics are said to have challenged Shah-i-Hamadan for trying their supernatural powers and after being humbled by him accepted Islam.

The present Ziyarat of Shah-i-Hamadan also known as Khanka Maula is the Chillah-Khana built by Sultan Qutub-ud-Din for the Sayyid at the place where the contest of supernatural powers was held and is not his tomb, which is in Khatlan, Tajikistan.

Sultan had great admiration for the Sayyid and at his instance divorced one of his two wives who were sisters as marriage to two sisters is against Shariat. He adopted Islamic dress and always wore a cap given by the Sayyid, under his crown. The cap was passed on to succeeding Sultans and was buried with the body of Sultan Fateh Shah as per his request. Some one had prophesied that the burial of the cap would end the dynasty and curiously the dynasty came to an end with the rise of Chaks.

Shah-i-Hamadan was the author of several books and also a poet. Two of his works are very well known, Zakhiratul Muluk and Muwwadatul Quraba. Zakhiratul Muluk is based on his political ideas. It is in itself significant that a Sufi should write a book on the nature of the Islamic State, the duties of rulers and the rights and obligations of the people.

There are a number of other books written by him on different religious and spiritual aspects. Awraad -ul-Fathiyah gives a conception of the unity of God and His attributes.

Shah Hamadan's ghazals or odes are naturally Sufistic. The Chahlul Asraar, is a small collection of religious and mystical poems. Shah-i-Hamadan laid emphasis on justice and fought against the rigidities of the caste system and prepared the people to work.

He also introduced the different handicrafts besides teaching of Islam. As a result the handicraft industry received a fillip in Kashmir. He laid greater emphasis on earning legal livelihood and so rejected all other means for the support of the Sufis. He earned his livelihood by cap making.

This impact of Shah-i-Hamadan continues to be felt after six hundred years of his death. In fact, the modern Kashmir has the spiritual inputs of Shah-i-Hamadan but unfortunately we have drifted away from the spirit of truth in thought, word, and deed, which was his basic philosophy.

The so called “Kashmiriyat” does not represent the true and the realistic Kashmir but the spirit of Shah-i-Hamadan does! Kashmir is at present in the utmost need of the revival of the spirit and teachings of this greatest missionary and saint who can be truly termed to be the “Apostle of Kashmir”!

The air is chilly and mist falls over the plantation town of Peermade in the evenings.

At times nothing can be seen around, except the whiteness of mist and the next moment the mist would vanish unveiling the richness of the land.

Once, the erstwhile summer retreat of Travancore Maharajas and the British planters, its present claim to fame are the tea plantations, the British bungalows and the mausoleum of a Sufi saint.

It is off point the usually trodden tourist track and in the shadow of Munnar. Most tourists pass this town by. This, in some ways, is Peermade’s USP. We dropped anchor here for a truly blissful quiet weekend to explore the rest of the district’s highlights like Thekkady, Vagamon and Idukki.

Peermade engages the senses not just on the strength of its natural beauty but also because of the charming tales spun around its most favoured points.

A short trek up the Peeru Hills took us to the mausoleum dedicated to Peer Mohamed, a Sufi saint who is believed to be the first trader of spices in the region.

Overgrown with weeds and creepers and surrounded by deep, endless gorges and waterfalls, it stands sans any epitaph. This quaint little hill station is also known as Peermedu (‘Peeru medu’ in local parlance means Peer’s valley) after him. When the British made it their summer station in the 1800s, the name was later anglicised to Peermade to suit their tongue.

Jaipur: No dress code yet in Ajmer sufi shrine, but in the backdrop of a controversy over a dress code for pilgrims visiting the Sufi shrine in Ajmer (following the Katrina Kaif episode), the Nazim of the shrine's Dargah committee on Saturday said he has only given some suggestions for maintaining decorum at the world famous pilgrim centre.

The Nazim Khawaji Moinuddhin Chishti Ahammed Raza on Saturday clarified no final decision has been taken on a dress code for the 'ziareens'( devotees) but only gave some proposals to the Anjuman committee of the shrine.

"I have just sent some proposals to the Anjuman committee where I had just sought their consent over maintaining certain dress code in the shrine for the male and female devotees. But the dargah khadims(servers) and their Anjuman committee has blown the issue out of the proportions without reasons," he said.

"No final decision has been taken yet," he added.

The Nazim was responding to media reports that he has started the process of putting a dress code notices on board. "There is a need to maintain decorum in the shrine after the controversies where foreigners, tourists and even a film actress Katrina Kaif came here in absurd dresses," he said.

"I mean I have just asked for rumaal or dupatta to be used by women devotees to cover their heads, and for males a shirt up to elbow and pants or trousers up to the knees. I don't find anything wrong in it," Raza said.

The khadims and some devotees have reportedly voiced resentment over the move for a dress code in the shrine saying measures are already in place and that the dargah committee does not have to come up with a dress code.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Contemporary Iranian Art mixes Persian symbols with a modern approach: "Wishes and Dreams" exhibit scheduled to tour nine U.S. cities

Washington – Young Iranian artists incorporate traditional Persian symbols in many of the abstract, minimalist or even digital and video works of art currently on exhibit at the Meridian International Center in Washington.

The symbols help Iranian viewers connect to the artwork in “Wishes and Dreams: Iran’s New Generation Emerges” and to their heritage. But even for American viewers, the symbols add depth, contrast and interest. The collection of modern works – approachable and aesthetically pleasing – introduces Americans to contemporary Iran.

Exhibit co-curator Nancy Matthews of the Meridian Center said she and co-curator A. R. Sami Azar, former director of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, set out to gather a sampling of the artwork being done by emerging artists in Iran's capital, Tehran.

The exhibition, co-sponsored by the Meridian Center and the Tehran University Art Gallery, runs in Washington until July 29 and then will travel to eight other American cities through 2008. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised the artwork of the Iranian artists for creating a bridge between Iranian and American culture.

Among sweeping white brushstrokes on Rhythm 1, a black-painted diptych, are calligraphic forms. Artist Golnaz Fathi told USINFO that she enjoys the “tension” created by the calligraphy – a traditional Iranian art form – that “dances along the canvas without speaking.” Fathi uses music to inspire her; then she paints calligraphic shapes without concern for any particular letters or words.

(...)

Two Parrots Picking on a Bowl of Cherries by Rokneddin Haerizadeh “is full of Persian symbols,” co-curator Matthews said. From the wall fabric to the parrots to the cherries, the artist uses an impressionist technique to tell a story. “Persian painting has always been narrative,” Haerizadeh writes in the exhibition notes, “and I am searching for a modern narrative.” Iranians will understand the meaning of the symbols, Matthews said, and Americans will enjoy the painting because of its intimate perspective and use of everyday objects.

Bird in Flight is inspired by Forough Farokhzad’s poem “The Bird Was Only a Bird,” but the expressionist painting is about “feeling,” artist Nargess Hashemi told USINFO. Hashemi said she does not use traditional symbols in her canvas, which requires viewers’ “emotions, not brains” to connect with the work.

Matthews said many of the artists have been inspired by the 13th-century Iranian poet Jelaluddin Rumi, including Dream of a Woman by Afshin Pirhashemi. “I love Rumi’s poetry and make extensive use of its enigmatic meanings in my work,” Pirhashemi said.

A Mevlevi Sema dance, the spiritual whirling dance of the Sufis, will be performed at the Vatican on June 5 as part of the “Dialogue Between the Religions.”

Organized by the Pontifical Culture Council and Turkish Embassy in Vatican, the event will be attended by pope Benedict XVI, cardinals as well as top officials from Vatican and Italy.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Ömer Faruk Belviranlı, Konya Turkish Sufism Music Ensemble Director, said the promotional activities were scheduled abroad by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Foreign Ministry to mark 2007 Mevlana Year, declared by UNESCO.

“Sema dance performances have so far been performed in Pakistan, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of activities for Mevlana Year. On June 5, we will this time perform in the Vatican as part of ‘Dialogue Between the Religions'.

In this event we will gift an Italian language ‘Mesnevi,' a masterpiece by 13th century Turkish philosopher and poet Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, to pope Benedict XVI,” he said adding, “I believe that the event will be a significant and concrete one in the world especially at a time in which dialogue between religions is in focus.”

Sema performance at historic palace:Deniz Kılıçer from the Turkish Embassy in the Vatican said the Konya Turkish Sufism Music Ensemble would perform a Sufi concert followed by a Sema dance performance in the historical Renaissance period Palazzo della Cancelleria or Chancellery Palace.

He added, “a Sema performance will be held for the first time in the Vatican. The program will be under the auspices of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as the Foreign Ministry celebrating Mevlana Year in 2007, which also marks the 800th anniversary of the birth of Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, spiritual leader of the Islamic Sufi order.

The whirling dervishes will perform Sema at the 300-person capacity ceremony hall of the historic Chancellery Palace, the largest and most majestic historical palace of the Vatican. The program is expected to be attended by pope Benedict XVI, cardinals as well as top level bureaucrats from Vatican, Italy and Turkey.”

Konya Mayor Tahir Akyürek said that in addition to the international activities by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the municipality had also held several promotional activities abroad.

“In all these activities, we gifted Italian, German, French, English and Urdu versions of Mesnevi to foreign top level officials. This time, an Italian language Mesnevi will be given to the pope as a gift. I believe that he will be impressed with the masterpiece, which addresses all humanity,” he noted.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Lisa Gerrard was the breathtaking female voice behind Dead Can Dance. She is back after a few years of recording silence with an ambient CD titled The Silver Tree.

Gerrard sings and plays most of the instruments on the CD. Her solo style and very ethereal, combining minimal percussion at times, exquisite layers of gliding keyboards and her majestic vocals treated with reverb effects.

Her singing style is influenced by Turkish Sufism, Gregorian chant and Persian mysticism.

The use of electronic drones and orchestrations is superb. One can only wonder what Lisa Gerrard would sound like if she collaborated with ambient music master Steve Roach.

The last piece on the CD is very percussive, suggesting echoes of Dead Can Dance.

Many travellers who in the past have reported about Albania focused on the Sufi Brotherhoods, especially on the Bektashis, who in Albania represent approximately 15% of the population, which is made up of 70 % Muslims.

Therefore the myth of a Shi'ite presence in the country has been created, although the identification between Bektashis and Shi'is is improper.

These travellers of the past felt a great predilection towards the Bektashis, a predilection shared by various contemporary scholars, which was and is due to their syncretistic attitude, to the western foundation of their guidelines and lifestyle and to the consequent separation from the tradition and "uneasy" aspects of Islam.

Seen with a Western eye, we could say that the Bektashis are the “presentable relatives”, while the Sunni muslim seem to be the “rustic relation”, those that you prefer not to invite to your wedding.

The fact remains that the architectonic symbol of Albanian Islam is the mosque of Ethem Bey, started in 1792 by the famous Bektashi poet Ethem Bey and completed by his son in 1821: it is the proof that, beyond syncretism and western lifestyle, the Bektashi Brotherhood was also interested in building places for prayers.

From an interview (about Youths and Islam in Albania) to Ervin Hatibi, Albanian poet, painter and journalist, former editor-in-chief of "Drita Islame" (“The Light of Islam”)

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Zaouias (Sufi spiritual schools) are guiding people in their daily life.

People seek advice and guidance from the Shaykhs of these schools before they get married, when they want to embark on any change in their lives.

When people face a disease which doctors cannot cure, the Zaouias are solicited.

One of the Shaykhs we met in this region of Tlemcen, namely Shaykh Sari who told us a fantastic story about one of the most famous folk music singers in the region, El Ghafour, who was very ill in the 1990s but he met Shaykh Sidi Benaouda Ibn Nemamcha who advised him of isolating himself from the others and do the Secret Dhikr (Supplication to God.)

The Singer did and he recovered from his disease. “Go and meet the singer, he is Tlemcen’s Nightingale, as Bouteflika said, told Sheikh Sari, who was a witness when President Bouteflika met the Shaykh and Commander of the Hibri Sufi Path, Sidi Belkaid.

The Hibri Sufi path is one of the most famous paths in western Algeria. There are other “sub-paths” like the Mencahoui and the Ben Yeles paths.

Locals say the Hibri is the mother of all the Sufi paths in the region.

The traditional hidden Zaouias have changed as the network is now represented by an association called “The Algerian Association of Zaouias” and Shaykh Sari who has been accompanying us all along the trip is the Secretary General of the regional sub-office.

He said “our task is hard as we are a intermediary between the administration and the citizens,” “We receive so many complaints that we created reception days for citizens who wants a referee in issues related to housing, labour etc..” said Shaykh Sari.

“The local authorities received ten requests from citizens to open 10 Zaouias” said Mr. Sari who added “The role of the zaouia is important that opening one institution of this kind means the closure of a prison” Shaykh Sari continued speaking about the very “tolerant Islam preached in zawias,” “It is far from the Salafi Djihadi way”.

The salafi way to teach Islam has been very popular during a period of time, when the salafi preachers accused us of being the state’s religious representatives in the area.

“We have been through hard times and we could not speak”. Now the mureeds (followers) are so numerous that Shaykh Sari said the Sufi paths would be a tool in the “fight against the Salafi Djihadist” said Shaykh Sari.

Speaking about the national figures on the zaouias, Shaykh Sari said “There are at least 9,000 zawias” and more than “4 million mureeds - or followers”. Other Zaouias don’t request an official activity agreement form the Religious Affairs Ministry, and you can count them among us path-wise” said Mr. Sari.

About politics and the legislative elections, Shaykh Sari told us the Zaouias decided to back the National Liberation Front (FLN) because in this “We are supporting a humble man,” “And humbleness is part of the Sufi traditions, because the Sufi thinks power is only in God.”

Backing the FLN is backing President Bouteflika for the Zaouias.

“Backing President Bouteflika is backing the son of a former Moqadem or leader of the Hibri path.” “I remember when President Bouteflika was young, Shaykh Al Hibri put him on a special stone and told his father the young boy will be an important man in the future” said Shaykh Sari.

The Zaouias have become powerful in political decisions since President Bouteflika has been touring the country and visiting every Zaouia in any area he visited.

The spiritual role of this religious institution is so strong among citizens and mureeds that every politician who wants to go on a successful election race needs to have the benediction of the Shaykhs.

During our tour of the region, we covered the Labour Minister Tayeb Louh’ campaign in the Tlemcen area. The men payed a visit to the Al Achaachi Zaouia, one of the sub-paths in the Hibri Sufi tradition.

‘The Journey to the Simorgh’, which is being performed next Thursday, is a free adaptation of the novel ‘The Virtues of the Solitary Bird’ by author Juan Goytisolo. The work is billed to run on alternate days from the 4th May until the 17th of the month.

LA VOZ/CÁDIZ

The composer, José María Sánchez-Verdú (Algeciras, 1968) will be living through one of the most anticipated days of his professional career next Thursday. The Theatre Royal extends a welcome to the world premiere of his work, ‘The Journey to the Simorgh’ whose libretto is based on a free adaptation of the novel, ‘The Virtues of the Solitary Bird’ with poems and text from St. John of the Cross, Ibn al-Farid, Fariduddin al-Attar, the Song of Songs (in the translation of Fray Luis de León) and Leonardo Da Vinci.

(…)

An inner journeyIn the words of its author, “the work describes a displacement, an exodus, a search in which the places, times and personages of the novel of Juan Goytisolo constitute the stages or gardens that the birds of the Sufi story of Attar cross on their way toward the Simorgh, the mystical bird, the sought after king. In the final mystical union the plenitude produces the revelation; each one of the birds has carried the Simorgh within themselves, the journey was an inner journey in the fullness of Sufi communion.“ Along the way it is the poetry of St. John of the Cross, the great Sufi poet of the Christian West, that co-exists with the poetic voices of other great poets of the Persian and Arab traditions”, explains Sanchez-Verdú. As far as the composition goes, the work makes reference to certain elements of sixteenth century Spanish music (using the viola da gamba) and to music of the Islamic tradition; all this with the intensity and the elements that constitute the musical language of the composer. The total use of the architectonic space, in addition to dance and movement, are also substantial and essential elements in this journey.

The first edition of the world festival of Sufi meetings and musicians takes place today in Marrakesh (321 km to the south of Rabat) through the initiative of the association “The Muniya for the conservation and the revitalization of Moroccan heritage”

During a press conference for the event the organizers affirmed that the ambition of the festival is to value the cultural and spiritual identity of the country through meetings and evenings of Sufi music.

The programme of this first event includes amongst other things, lively music by Moroccan and Arab groups, and discussions on the principal theme, “Sufism: The Tree of Knowledge and of Love”. There will also be exhibitions of manuscripts of the Qur’an and of Sufi libraries.

The musical evenings which will take place in the shrines (zawiyyas) and the historical palaces and gardens of Marrakesh will be enlivened by such prestigious groups as Al-Kindi of Syria, ‘Sayed Imam’ of Egypt and Moroccan groups like ‘Al-Abasiya’ of Marrakesh and El Dakirin of Rabat.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

London: Noted Indian director Shyam Benegal will undertake a major international film on the life of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan who was a secret agent in the Second World War and was awarded the George Cross for her bravery.

Based on the best-selling and critically acclaimed book 'The Spy Princess' by journalist-cum-writer Shrabani Basu, with a screenplay by Lord Meghnad Desai and Kishwar Desai, the film will be the first Indian movie where the language will be English, French, German and Hindi.

Noor's amazing story of courage and sacrifice will be brought to celluloid by an international cast and will be shot entirely on location in Britain and France. It will be the first Indian film to be set during the Second World War.

Noor Inayat Khan, the courageous Indian woman, was the daughter of the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan and his American wife. Born in Moscow, she was brought up in France and Britain.
Noor was the first woman to be infiltrated into occupied France as a radio operator and worked undercover in Paris helping the French Resistance.

She was betrayed and captured and brutally murdered in Dachau Concentration Camp. She was awarded the George Cross by the British government and the French honoured her with the Croix de Guerre.

Lord Meghnad Desai said, "The story of Noor Inayat Khan transcends nations and cultures. It is an intensely human story of a woman brought up to tell the truth and eschew violence. Yet she fought as a spy and died in a Nazi concentration camp with the word 'Liberate' on her lips.

Noor was Indian, French and British, a Sufi and a fighter, a gentle musician and a brave soldier. This is why her appeal is cosmopolitan."

Ten Muslims and 10 Christians from within the Diocese of Leicester returned last Saturday from a pilgrimage to holy sites in Turkey.

The visit is part of an ongoing effort to build closer ties between the two faith communities and during their time in Turkey they took time to share ideas and thoughts on the significance of the holy sites they visited from their own faiths' perspective.

Stop-offs included historically important sites such as Istanbul, Ephesus, Konya -the place of the Sufi saint Rumi- and Cappadokia, and the group were also given the opportunity to learn more about modern day Turkey.

The pilgrimage brought together mostly members of Muslim-Christian dialogue groups, which have been meeting at the St Philip's Church and Centre every six weeks for the last seven years.
A reporter from BBC Radio Leicester also accompanied them on their journey, which was their boldest yet. Previous journeys had only been as far afield as Bradford, Burnley and Manchester.

The trip was organised and hosted by a Muslim dialogue organisation in Turkey.

Ankara: Brazilian Ambassador Cesario Melantonio Neto looks forward to THY’s [Türk Hava Yollari] direct flights to Brazil, hoping that not only will this increase trade, but that there will also be more cultural exchanges between Brazil and Turkey.

Mr. Ambassador is so excited about direct flights between Turkey and Brazil which “will hopefully start at the beginning of next year.” These will not just be passenger flights but also cargo ones, so trade and tourism will increase. He hopes that more Brazilian football clubs will come to Turkey, as well as music groups, exhibitions and so on.

There are already a number of Brazilian music groups regularly coming to Turkey, this means there is a direct link between the musicians of the two countries, he says.

Mr. Ambassador likes Sufi music and he says he is not unique in this matter in Brazil. He says that recently he met with a Brazilian professor who is an expert on Sufism. The professor told the Ambassador that, “It is a trend in Brazil to be interested in Sufism and the Brazilians are really reading about it.”

He explains: “This mix of Sufism or religion with a cultural approach, dance and music is very special and interesting. I am very interested in sharing this part of your culture. We are working on a project, a Mevlana exhibition in Brazil.”

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